Saints Lose Third Home KJCCC Series

The Seward County Saints snapped an eight game losing streak with an 11-7 win in game one of their doubleheader with Dodge City Sunday, but Seward couldn’t keep the momentum going as they fell 8-4 in the nightcap to lose their third Jayhawk West Conference home series of the 2017 season.

Things didn’t start well for the Saints as they fell behind 3-0 right away in game three of the series with the Conqs, but they quickly recovered, putting up a six spot in the bottom half of the 1st, highlighted by a bases clearing double from Jacob Nielsen to stake them out to a 6-3 lead.

Dodge creeped back in with solo home runs in the 3rd and 4th innings to make it a one run game at 6-5, but the Saints put up their second crooked number of the game in the bottom half of the 4th inning as Errett Edwards doubled home a pair and two other Saints collected RBI singles to push their lead back out to 11-5.

The Conqs homered for the third straight inning in the 5th to cut the Saints lead to 11-7, but Seward starter Brian Tims and reliever Jordan Pepper held Dodge off the board for the final 2 2/3 innings to hold the four run lead and give Seward their first win in nine tries at 11-7.

Eight different Saints had hits in the contest with Montana Newell the only Seward player to have multiple knocks as he finished 2 for 3 with a pair of RBI’s. Tims earned his second win of the year, gutting out 5 2/3 innings on the mound, allowing eight hits and seven runs while striking out a pair. Pepper tossed 1 1/3 scoreless out of the pen to close things out for the Saints.

SEWARD COUNTY/DODGE CITY GAME THREE BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2016-17/boxscores/20170423_2gdl.xml>

It was the Saints getting on the board first in the series finale as Law Greiner singled home Cody Stineman in the bottom of the 2nd to put Seward up 1-0.

Their lead was short lived however as Dodge struck back for a pair of two out runs in the 3rd and three more in the 4th to take a 5-1 lead.

A two run shot by the Conqs in the 5th made it a 7-1 game before an RBI single from Jared Biddy in the bottom half of the frame broke a four inning scoreless drought for Seward to make it 7-2.

A Dodge City error allowed the Saints to push across their third run of the game in the 7th, but the Conqs quickly answered that with a run of their own in the 8th to make it 8-3.

Another two out RBI single from Biddy made it an 8-4 game in the 9th, but the Saints didn’t threaten past that as the Conqs finished off the series with an 8-4 win to take the series 3-1.

The Saints outhit the Conqs 12-10 in the nightcap, getting four hits and a pair of RBI’s from Biddy and two hits and two runs scored from Edwards. Jonathan Castillo took the loss on the mound for Seward, allowing seven hits and seven runs in just 4 1/3 innings of work to fall to 2-6 on the year.

SEWARD COUNTY/DODGE CITY GAME FOUR BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2016-17/boxscores/20170423_vfml.xml>

Seward suffers their third home series loss in a season for the first time in program history as they fall to 17-32 overall and 10-18 in Jayhawk West action where they own a tiebreaker over Cloud County for the #6 slot at weekends end. Dodge picks up a big road series win to improve to 33-15 overall and 18-10 in league play where they clinch a home playoff series for the Region VI Tournament.

The Saints will wrap up the regular season next weekend at Williams Stadium in Garden City as they take on the Broncbusters in a four game set Saturday and Sunday beginning at 1:00.

Roy Allen