Pitching Shines as Seward Sweeps Frank Phillips

Seward County pitchers Katelyn Craker and Brittany Hopkins shined Wednesday afternoon at Lady Saints Field as the gals in green opened their 2014 home schedule with a double header against Frank Phillips. Craker allowed just 4 hits and 1 unearned run in a 4-1 game one victory for the Lady Saints while Hopkins’s line looked nearly the same, going 7 innings and allowing 5 hits and 1 run as Seward once again won 4-1 to take the double header.

The Lady Saints were the first to break the ice in game one of the double header, getting a one out double from Felisha Vogelaar and a Frank Phillips error to plate their first run to take a 1-0 lead.

Lady Saints starter Katelyn Craker breezed through a 1-2-3 top half of the 3rd for Seward and the Lady Saints rewarded here with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning as Marissa Chavez and Andrea Sitter singled to start the inning and both came around to score on Frank Phillip’s second error of the game to make it 3-0.

Craker continued to put up zero’s and Seward kept on hitting. The Lady Saints stretched their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the 4th as Sitter singled to drive home Vanessa Oakden with one out in the inning.

Craker pitched into the 6th with a no-hitter when Frank Phillips finally got their first hit of the afternoon. The Lady Plainsmen picked up back to back hits, but were unable to score after both runners were erased on the bases to end the inning with Seward still in front 4-0.

A Seward error started the 7th inning, and a double and a single later, the Lady Plainsmen were on the board, cutting the Lady Saints lead to 4-1. With the tying run at the plate and three chances to make some noise, Frank Phillips looked like they had a chance to get back into the game in their final at bats. Craker would have none of that. She got a strikeout for the first out of the inning and a line drive double play ended the threat as well as the game as the Lady Saints hung on to win 4-1.

Craker earned her third win of the young season, going all 7 innings and allowing just 4 hits and 1 unearned run while striking out 3 Lady Plainsmen hitters. Sitter finished with 3 of the 9 Seward hits in the win and also drove in a run while Oakden continued her hot start to the season with a 2 for 3 game with an RBI.

SEWARD COUNTY/FRANK PHILLIPS GAME ONE BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/sball/2013-14/boxscores/20140219_vkgu.xml>

Game two of the twinbill was a good old fashioned pitcher’s duel between Seward’s Brittany Hopkins and Frank Phillips’ Tiffany Britton.

Both teams went down in order in the 1st inning and each had a single in the 2nd inning that amounted to nothing.

Hopkins struck out two Lady Plainsmen in the top half of the 3rd, but again couldn’t get anything strung together in their half as the game remained scoreless through 3.

It was more of the same through the 4th and 5th innings as neither team had managed a runner past second base through the first 5 innings of the contest.

Frank Phillips was the first to strike in the 6th as a pair of singles put two on with one out and after a sacrifice bunt, the Lady Plainsmen had runners on second and third with one out. On a 2-1 pitch Erica Chasco found a hole in the Seward defense with a single to push the first run of the game across to put Frank Phillips up 1-0.

After some stern words of encouragement from Head Coach Andrea Gustafson between innings, the Lady Saints finally found some rhythm on offense. Chavez singled to start the inning and Sitter picked up a bunt single behind her to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Pokey Ewell was then hit by a pitch to load the bases for Seward and Becky Allen smacked the first pitch that she saw into left field for a single to score two runs to put the Lady Saints in front 2-1. Felisha Vogelaar followed suit, ripping the second pitch she saw into the outfield for a single to score two more runs and at the end of six the Lady Saints led it 4-1.

Hopkins returned to the circle to start the 7th for Seward and wasted no time in getting three straight groundouts to put a bow around a 4-1 Lady Saints win.

Seward outhit Frank Phillips 7-5 in the pitcher’s duel. Chavez and Vogelaar were the only two Lady Saints with more than one hit, both going 2 for 3 in the win while Vogelaar drove home a run and Chavez scores once. Hopkins went the distance in the circle, allowing 5 hits, all singles, and 1 run while striking out 4.

SEWARD COUNTY/FRANK PHILILPS GAME TWO BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/sball/2013-14/boxscores/20140219_94ls.xml>

The Lady Saints are now 8-0 on the year, matching the 2010 teams 8-0 beginning. Frank Phillips falls to 2-8 after the two losses.

Seward will get right back after it on Friday when they head to the Cowtown Classic in Dallas to take on Ranger, North Central Texas, and Seminole State followed by dates with Western Oklahoma State and Western Texas on Saturday to wrap up the tournament.