Saints On Wrong End of Historic Firsts Sunday

Sunday, March 5, 2017 will likely not be a day that the Seward County Saints tell their grandchildren about some day. In fact, it will be a day that they will want to forget completely after Seward was beaten 12-0 and 19-9 by visiting Hutchinson marking the programs first ever back to back 10+ run losses in Jayhawk West play and also the programs first ever Jayhawk West four game sweep on their home field.
After outscoring Seward 23-3 on day one of their four game Jayhawk West Conference series, it didn’t take long for Hutchinson to get going on day two as the Blue Dragons blasted back to back 2nd inning home runs to take a 4-0 lead to begin the ballgame.
A two run home run for Hutch in the 3rd made it a 6-0 contest and later in the inning two more bombs pushed the Dragon lead to 11-0.
The Saints had no answer, putting just a single baserunner on in the 3rd and 4th innings to remain behind 11-0 to the 5th.
Hutch added another tally in the 5th to make it 12-0 and the Saints failed to score in the bottom half of the frame, effectively ending the game in their second straight run rule loss.
Seward was outhit 15-5 in the game which included nine Blue Dragon extra base hits. No Saint had more than one hit in the loss. Brian Tims took the loss on the hill, failing to get out of the 3rd inning while allowing nine hits and eight runs, all earned to fall to 1-3 on the year.
SEWARD COUNTY/HUTCHINSON GAME THREE BOX SCORE
The Dragons were right back at it in the series finale as they got an infield single and then three run home run later in the top half of the 1st to immediately go out in front 4-0 on Seward.
Another Hutch bomb in the top of the 2nd made it a 6-0 game after just 1 ½ innings of action.
The Saints finally showed some life in the bottom half of the inning as Cody Stineman and Cody Coontz went back to back, slicing the Dragon lead in half to 6-3. Seward added another run later in the inning to make it a 6-4 game.
Hutch answered right back with two runs in the top of the 3rd to make it 8-4 and things settled down a bit from there as neither team scored again until the 5th when the Dragons pushed across a lone run to make it a 9-4 game midway through.
A line drive home run off the bat of Jared Biddy started a two run 5th for Seward to again cut the lead to just three 9-6 and the Saints clawed their way back to within one in the 6th with two more to make it a 9-8 ballgame.
A two run home run for Hutch in the 7th and two more longballs in the 8th pushed the Dragons back out to a 15-8 lead and they tacked on four more in the 9th to put the Saints away 19-9.
Hutchinson pounded out 23 hits in the win including five more home runs to finish the weekend with 16. Seward had 12 hits in the loss including four round trippers. Montana Newell and Cody Stineman each had two hits, a homer, and two RBI’s in the loss. Jordan Pepper was collared with the loss on the mound, allowing seven hits and eight runs in just two innings to fall to 0-2 on the year.
SEWARD COUNTY/HUTCHINSON GAME FOUR BOX SCORE
The Saints are swept in a Jayhawk West Conference home series for the first time in program history after the Dragons swept the first series period from Seward three years ago at Hobart-Detter Field in Hutch. Seward falls to uncharted waters at 5-14 overall and 0-4 in Jayhawk West Conference play to begin the year while Hutchinson runs their win streak to 13 as they improve to 13-2 overall and start league play 4-0.
Seward will have a midweek tilt to try to get things rolling back in the right direction Wednesday against Frank Phillips before returning to conference play Saturday and Sunday at Stanion Field in Pratt where they will take on the Pratt Beavers in a four game set.