Koontz’s Walk Off Salvages Split for Seward Softball

In their final tuneup before Jayhawk West Conference play begins on Wednesday, the Seward County Lady Saints split a doubleheader with the visiting Northern Oklahoma-Enid Jets Monday afternoon at Lady Saints Field in Liberal, dropping game one 10-4 before bouncing back for an 8-7 walk-off win in game two on a game winning knock from Maycee Koontz.

In game one Enid came out swinging, belting a pair of 1st inning home runs to jump out to a 3-0 lead on the Lady Saints.

Seward got a run back in a weird way in the bottom of the 2nd as Maycee Koontz scored all the way from second on a wild pitch to make it a 3-1 game.

Things calmed down from there and it remained a 3-1 game to the 6th when the Jets took control. Northern Oklahoma scored six runs in the frame, turning things quickly into a blowout at 9-1.

The Lady Saints again got a run on a mishandled pitch in the bottom of the inning, but Enid answered right back in their next at bats to make it a 10-2 game.

Leena Mortensen and Paige St. Pierre ripped back to back RBI singles in Seward’s final at bats, but it was too little too late as the Jets finished off a 10-4 win to take game one.

Seward managed just four hits in the loss and failed to take advantage of seven walks in the contest. Macy Pritchard took the loss in the circle to fall to 2-4 on the year, getting a spot start and allowing four hits and six earned runs in five innings of work.

SEWARD COUNTY/NORTHERN OKLAHOMA-ENID GAME ONE BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/sball/2016-17/boxscores/20170227_ssfg.xml>

Enid again jumped out to a lead in game two, scoring two 1st inning runs to go ahead early 2-0.

Like they did in game one, the Lady Saints responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the 2nd on a wild pitch to make it a 2-1 game.

The Jets added to their lead in the 3rd, scoring three times to open up their lead to 5-1.

A three run bomb off the bat of Sydney Epp in the bottom of the inning got Seward back to within one at 5-4, but two more Jet runs in the 4th made it a 7-4 game.

The Lady Saints went back to the long ball in the 5th, getting another bomb from Epp followed by a solo shot from catcher Sage Harrison to get back to within one once again at 7-6.

Seward tied the game in the bottom of the 6th on an Enid error and after pitcher Ruby Gonzalez put up a zero in the top of the 7th, the Lady Saints had a chance to walk things off in the bottom of the frame.

Harrison singled with one out to put the game winning run on base and she was pinch ran for by St. Pierre off the bench. Lexi Maynik drew a walk to put two on with one out and Maycee Koontz came up with the biggest hit of her young Seward career, a double to the gap to bring St. Pierre home for a walk-off Seward County win.

Seward outhit Enid 11 to 10 in the victory, getting a 4 for 4, 4 RBI game from Epp who homered twice in the victory. Harrison had three hits and a longball at the bottom of the Seward order and Koontz had a pair with the game winning RBI at the top. Gonzalez went the distance for the win on the rubber, improving to 6-0 on the year while allowing 10 hit and 7 runs and striking out 4.

SEWARD COUNTY/NORTHERN OKLAHOMA-ENID GAME TWO BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/sball/2016-17/boxscores/20170227_fzj3.xml>

The split takes Seward to 16-5 on the year while Northern Oklahoma moves to 13-6.

Next up for Seward is their Jayhawk West opener Wednesday afternoon at Carl Adams Field in Colby as they take on the Lady Trojans in a twinbill at 2:00.

Roy Allen