The Seward County Lady Saints picked up a pair of wins Saturday afternoon at a blustery Lady Saints Field in Liberal, downing visiting Trinidad State 4-1 and 8-5 to improve to 19-6 on the year.
Game one between the Lady Saints and the Lady Trojans was a pitcher’s duel early on as the two teams were scoreless after three innings of play.
Trinidad broke through with a solo home run in the 4th to break the scoreless tie, but the Lady Saints answered right away as Jullian Atteberry singled home a run to tie it and Sage Harrison cracked a two run home run behind her to put Seward in front 3-1.
The Lady Saints added to their lead in the 5th with an RBI single to right off the bat of Kristyna Garcia to make it a 4-1 game and that was all that Seward starter Monique Ashley needed as she struck out five of the final six hitters that she faced in the final two innings, nailing down the 4-1 win for the Lady Saints.
Ashley was brilliant in the circle for the second straight outing, striking out a career high 14 while allowing just four hits and one run to improve to 11-1 on the year. Eight different Lady Saints had a hit in the win while Harrison and Lexi Manyik had Seward’s two extra base hits in the contest.
SEWARD COUNTY/TRINIDAD STATE GAME ONE BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/sball/2016-17/boxscores/20170304_4y96.xml>
Seward got on the board early in game two as Harrison was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 1st to put the Lady Saints up 1-0.
The Lady Saints added to their lead two innings later as Atteberry drove a run home with a groundout and Manyik plated two more with a double to make it a 4-0 game after three.
Seward allowed Trinidad back in the game with two unearned runs in the 4th to make it a 4-2 game, but the Lady Saints answered with a run in the bottom half of the frame to go back up three on an RBI single from Atteberry.
The Trojans tied the score 6th on a two run single to make it a 5-5 game, but again Seward responded immediately as Taylor Kathler singled home a run and Maycee Koontz returned from a nasty early game injury with an RBI single of her own to put the Lady Saints up three 8-5.
Trinidad brought the tying run to the on deck circle, but that is as close as they got as Sydney Epp earned her first career win in the circle by shutting the Trojans down and preserving the 8-5 Seward County win.
Each side had nine hits in the contest. Seward was led by Atteberry and Manyik who combined for five of the Lady Saints RBI’s. Epp went the distance in her first career start, scattering nine hits while allowing three earned runs for her first collegiate win.
SEWARD COUNTY/TRINIDAD STATE GAME TWO BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/sball/2016-17/boxscores/20170304_8qul.xml>
Seward improves to 19-6 with the sweep while Trinidad falls to 10-9 on the year.
The Lady Saints will wrap up a mini four game home stand on Sunday at Lady Saints Field in Liberal as they host Lamar in a 1:00 non-conference doubleheader.