The Seward County Saints won a wild 10 inning game and then lost in a blowout Monday morning, afternoon, and evening. The Saints won the first game 7-5 in 10 innings before the Butler Grizzlies claimed game two 12-5 at McDonald Stadium in El Dorado.
In game one, the Grizzlies scored two in the first to lead. In the fourth, Hayden Ramage lofted a three run home run over the wall in right for the 3-2 lead. Butler tied the game with a run in the fourth to make it 3-3. Seward took a 4-3 lead with a run in the fifth. Emery Cairns and Nathan Hopkins singled. Cairns scored on a Brooks Barber sacrifice fly to right. Seward added a run in the sixth. Hayden Ramage was hit by a pitch. Grant Cox singled him home for the 5-3 lead. The Grizzlies scored two in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 5-5. The scheduled seven inning game wasn’t decided until the 10th. In the top of the 10th, Seward’s Colton Rowan was hit in the helmet by a pitch. Umpires ruled he did not attempt to get out of the way causing an automatic strike and strikeout after about a 30 minute delay with umpires trying to interpret the rule correctly. After the delay, Brooks Barber singled and Ryan Todd blasted a two run home run to left for the 7-5 lead. Seward out-hit the Grizzlies 9-5. Logan Tice pitched 6 and 1/3 strong innings. Ashton Creighton pitched 3 and 2/3 scoreless innings for the win. He was Epic Touch Player of the Game. Nathan Hopkins was 3-5.
In game two, Butler scored one in the bottom of the first. Seward’s Blaine Chancy lofted a home run to right in the second to tie the game. Butler took a 2-1 lead with a run in the second and took a 3-1 lead with a run in the third. Seward stranded the bases loaded and did not score in the top of the third. But came through with two in the fourth to tie the game at 3-3. Hayden Ramage doubled to lead off the inning. Grant Cox was hit by a pitch and Emery Cairns singled. Nathan Hopkins reached on a fielder’s choice and drove home a run. Brooks Barber was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game. But the Saints stranded the bases loaded for a second straight inning. Butler broke the game open with a six run fourth. Seward committed an error leading to five unearned runs and 9-3 BCC lead. The Grizzlies added three in the sixth. Seward plated two in the seventh as Brooks Barber doubled and scored on a wild pitch. Kotaro Wakui singled. Hayden Ramage drove him home. Butler out-hit the Saints 10-7. Seward had two errors. Hayden Ramage was Epic Touch Player of the Game going 2-4 with a double.
Butler wins the series over Seward for the first time since 2018. Butler is 20-15 overall and 12-8 in the Jayhawk West. Seward falls to 16-23 and 3-13 in the Jayhawk West. The Saints play at Colby Thursday at 1pm on 1270 and 92.3.