Saints Score 20 but Lose at Clarendon

Usually when you put 31 baserunners on and score 20 times in a single baseball game, your odds of winning should be pretty good. Unfortunately for the Seward County Saints, that was not enough on Wednesday afternoon in Clarendon as the Saints pitching staff allowed 23 hits and issued 8 free passes as the Bulldogs outslugged Seward 25-20 to run the Saints season long losing streak to five games.

Coming off of a dreadful series against Hutchinson over the weekend, the Saints got off to a good start Wednesday against Clarendon as Brandon Urquizo tripled to start the game for Seward and quickly scored on an RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Bryson Allen to give the Saints a quick 1-0 lead.

As they did on Sunday in an 18-13 loss to Hutch, the Saints problems on the mound started early and often Wednesday against the Bulldogs. Clarendon pounded out six 1st inning hits including four RBI doubles to quickly erase the Saints advantage and put up six runs in the bottom half of the inning to go on top 6-1.

After a quick 1-2-3 inning for Seward in the top half of the 2nd, Clarendon was back at it again in the bottom half of the frame. Three straight Clarendon singles and a Seward error made it an 8-1 game and with two outs in the inning the Bulldogs continued to pack runs on as they scored four more times to take a 12-1 lead on the Saints.

Seward’s offense got them back into the game in the 3rd as three walks loaded the bases and catcher Mason Marshall ripped a double to clear the sacks, scoring three runs to cut the Clarendon lead to 12-4. Later in the inning Jake Fuller singled to score Marshall from second and after an eventful 2 ½ innings of play it was Clarendon 12 and Seward 5.

The Saints drew closer in the 4th as Urquizo walked to start the inning and Brent Williams smacked a triple off the wall to score him to make it 12-6. Williams later scored on a wild pitch and just like that the Saints were back in striking distance, down just 12-7.

Grant Glaze worked the Saints first scoreless inning of the day in the 4th for Seward and the Saints bats gave them two more runs in the 5th on an RBI triple from Allen to make it a three run game at 12-9.

A leadoff walk proved costly for the Saints in the 5th as a two out home run for Clarendon pushed their lead back to 14-9 after 5.

What should have been a 1-2-3 inning for the Bulldogs in the 6th turned into a much longer affair after a one out Seward error allowed the inning to continue. After the error Clarendon picked up four consecutive hits and cashed them into four runs to build their lead back up to 18-9.

Seward got a run back on a sacrifice fly from Jordan Leinweber in the top of the 7th, but Clarendon answered with much much more after stretch time.

With one out in the Clarendon 7th, seven straight batters reached base on just two hits as Seward pitching issued three consecutive walks, two with the bases loaded, and hit a batter while the defense made their fifth error of the game to allow the Bulldogs to go on top 22-10. Clarendon wasn’t done there. After the Saints finally found their second out of the inning back to back singles cleared the once loaded bases to score three more runs and after 7 the Seward found themselves in a 25-10 hole.

There was nothing doing for either side in the 8th and the game went to the 9th with the score still 25-10.

The first three Seward hitters of the 9th reached base safely and Williams was hit by his second pitch of the day to force home a run to make it 25-11. With the bases still loaded, Leinweber jumped on a 1-0 pitch, lifting it over the right field wall for a grand slam to cut the Clarendon lead to 25-15. Two walks and a wild pitch put two more runners in scoring position with nobody out and a sac fly from John Solberg plated a run to make it 25-16. Later on in the inning a wild pitch gave the Saints their seventh tally of the frame and an RBI single from Urquizo put another run up to make it a 25-18 game, still with just one out in the inning. An RBI single from Allen cut the Clarendon lead to 25-19 and a sac fly from Williams made it 25-20, but a groundout ended the inning and effectively the game as the Saints went down 25-20.

The two teams combined for 40 hits in the contest, 23 by Clarendon and 17 for Seward. The top of the Seward order would not be to blame for the loss as Urquizo, Allen, and Williams combined to go 10 for 15 with 8 RBI’s and 10 runs scored for the Saints. Urquizo was 4 for 6 with 5 runs scored, Allen was 3 for 5 with 4 RBI’s, and Williams was just a home run short of the cycle as he went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI’s. Just two Seward pitchers threw in the game without allowing a run as converted infielder Tanner Thompson pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief and #1 starter JB Olson threw a scoreless 8th in the loss. Starter Chris Juracek was tagged with the loss as he was unable to get out of the 1st inning before allowing 6 hits and 6 earned runs.

The 20 runs scored by Seward were the most in a loss in school history. The 45 total runs scored in the game tied for the most in school history, equaling the 45 scored in a 27-18 Seward win on April 14, 2002.

The Saints drop their fifth straight game, falling to 18-16 overall on the season while Clarendon improves to .500 on the year at 12-12.

Seward will try to break that five game losing streak this weekend as they return to Jayhawk West Conference play and to Brent Gould Field in Liberal as they host the Pratt Beavers in a four game conference set. Double headers will begin both Saturday & Sunday beginning at 1:00.

SEWARD COUNTY/CLARENDON BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/files/SewardClarendon.pdf>

Roy Allen