Odessa Sweeps Seward but Saints Split at Midland

The first verse of the Seward County Saints Texas Two Step didn’t go very well on Saturday as Seward couldn’t hold a big lead in game one and were buried from the start in game two of an 11-7, 7-3 sweep at the hands of the Odessa Wranglers.

It was the Saints getting on the board first in game one of the twinbill when Josh Nicol singled home a pair of runs in the top half of the 2nd inning to give Seward an early 2-0 lead. Odessa answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning but the Saints matched that tally with another in the 3rd on an RBI groundout from Jared Biddy to make it a 3-1 game. Odessa tied the game at 3 in the 3rd, but the deadlock didn’t last long as Seward continued piling on runs in the 4th as Logan Nethercot, Dylan Paul, and Biddy each picked up RBI singles to open the Saints lead to 7-3. Saints reliever Braden Terrell locked down from there, coming out of the pen to work quick 4th and 5th innings against the Odessa offense to keep the game at 7-3 in favor of Seward. However, all heck broke loose in the Odessa half of the 6th as the Wranglers sent 12 hitters to the plate, chasing Terrell from the game and beating up on the Saints bullpen to score eight runs to flip the script and make it an 11-7 game in favor of the home squad. The Saints never recovered from the shock of the big Wrangler inning and went down in order in their final at bats in the 7th to give Odessa the 11-7 win in game one.

The Saints were outhit in the game 16-8, much of that coming in the eight run Odessa 6th. Biddy was 3 for 4 with a pair of RBI’s in the loss while Paul was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and Seward’s only extra base hit of the game. Terrell suffered the loss out of the Seward bullpen, allowing 4 hits and 5 earned runs in 1 1/3 innings of work to fall to 1-1 on the year.

SEWARD COUNTY/ODESSA GAME ONE BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/boxscores/20160220_c67p.xml>

Game two had a much different feel for Seward as they couldn’t stop the carryover momentum that the Wranglers had from game one as they found themselves in a 6-0 hole right off the bat after three innings of play. Paul tried to spark the Saints, launching a home run to put Seward on the board in the 4th, but that is all they would get in the inning and trailed 6-1 after 3 ½. Odessa answered right back with a run of their own to again push their lead to six and that is where the game stood into the 6th. Paul again put his best effort forth with a one out double in the Saints 6th to try to start a rally and he scored later in the inning but again that is all Seward got and they trailed 7-2 into the 7th inning of play. In his first career pitching performance, Seward infielder Nic Ricigliano passed the test with flying colors, keeping Odessa off the board and giving the Saints a chance in the late innings. Seward couldn’t take advantage though, managing just a single tally in the 8th, eventually falling 7-3.

Paul was the lone source of offense for the Saints in the loss, going 4 for 4, missing the cycle by just a triple in the contest. Adam Keller took the loss on the mound for the Saints, going 6 innings and allowing 7 hits and 7 runs while walking 3 and striking out just 2.

SEWARD COUNTY/ODESSA GAME TWO BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/boxscores/20160220_wwyz.xml>

The Saints fall back under .500 on the year with the losses at 5-6 while Odessa improves to 4-4.

Roy Allen

The Seward County Saints bats were cold Sunday as they took on the Midland Chaparrals at Christensen Stadium in Midland, Texas, but in game one of the double header, it didn’t matter, as Seward sophomore southpaw Jakob Hernandez spun a three hit shutout, striking out 10 in a 2-0 Saints win over the Chaps, but in game two, Seward mustarded just one run in a 4-1 loss to split the twinbill.

In game one of the double header, the Saints had a chance to get on the board right away, loading the bases in the top half of the 1st, but were unable to push anything across to keep it a 0-0 game after a half inning of action. Seward starting pitcher Jakob Hernandez was locked in from the start for the Saints, working a 1-2-3 bottom half of the 1st to allow Seward to get on the board first in the 2nd as Cody Stineman tripled to lead off the inning and Josh Nicol doubled him home to make it 1-0 Saints. Later in the inning, a Midland error allowed Seward an extra out and the Saints took advantage of that by pushing home their second run of the inning to extend their lead to 2-0. That was all that the Saints needed on this day as Hernandez dominated the Midland lineup, facing the minimum through the first five innings of play. The Saints couldn’t manage anymore offense themselves, but they didn’t need it as Hernandez worked around a two out single in the 6th and then came up huge in the 7th with the tying runs in scoring position, picking up a pair of strikeouts to end the threat and the game, giving the Saints a 2-0 win.

Hernandez spun his second complete game shutout victory of the season in the win, striking out 10 and allowing just 3 hits in the process to improve to 3-1 on the year. Seward had just four hits offensively, getting RBI’s from Nicol and Chad Kennedy to provide all of their offense.

SEWARD COUNTY/MIDLAND GAME ONE BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/boxscores/20160221_01ry.xml>

The Saints bats remained quiet as game two got underway as they went scoreless through the first innings to allow Midland to take an early 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom half of the 2nd. Seward missed a chance to answer in their next at bats, putting two on with nobody out without scoring, and the Chaps made them pay, extending their lead to 3-0 with a pair of two out runs in the bottom of the inning. Judah Sweat doubled and later scored on a Midland error to get the Saints on the board in the 4th and Seward starter Brian Tims kept the Chaps in check to keep it a 3-1 game into the 5th. Seward again had a golden opportunity to get back into the game in the 5th, putting runners on second and third with just one out, but again, they failed to get the job done, leaving both runners in scoring position at innings end to remain behind 3-1. The Saints again threatened in the 6th, loading the bases with one out and once again, couldn’t execute with ducks on the pond, leaving the bases loaded after a strikeout and a groundout as Midland clung to the 3-1 advantage. Tims continued to keep it a 3-1 game through the 6th and the Saints threatened again without avail in the 8th, seeing two players cut down at the plate trying to score and that seemed to have shut the door on their chances in this one. Midland added an insurance run in their half of the 8th and Seward went down in order in the 9th as Midland salvaged the split with a 4-1 win.

Each side had 9 hits in the contest and the Saints couldn’t take advantage of 3 Midland errors in the game. Sweat, Trent Mulherin, and Austin Bartosovsky each had 2 hits in the loss for Seward while Tims suffered the loss on the mound despite a quality start, going 6 inning, allowing 6 hits and 3 runs while striking out 4.

SEWARD COUNTY/MIDLAND GAME TWO BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/boxscores/20160221_ew9z.xml>

The Saints remain a game below .500 with the split, moving to 6-7 on the year while Midland is now 2-5 overall on the season.

Seward will now see their most extended break of the season as they sit for nine days before their next action when they take the field March 2nd in non-league play against Clarendon at Brent Gould Field.

Roy Allen