Seward Softball Slides into Spring Break with Two Wins

The Seward County Lady Saints showed that they weren’t quite looking ahead to next week’s Spring Break trip to Arizona yet, focusing enough to knock off North Dakota’s Williston State 11-3 and 5-2 Friday afternoon at Lady Saints Field in Liberal.

It didn’t take long for Seward to get going in the opener, scoring three times in the bottom half of the 1st inning as Grace Petersen drove home a run with a sacrifice fly, Danielle Orr drove home another on an RBI triple, and a two out single by Hannah Clark made it 3-0 Seward after one.

The Lady Saints were right back at it in the 2nd, getting three more runs, this time on a Williston State error and a perfectly executed double steal to stretch their lead to 6-0.

The Tetons got on the board for the first time in the top half of the 4th inning, putting together three straight two out hits to plate a pair of runs to cut the Seward lead to 6-2.

The Lady Saints struck right back and then some in the bottom half of the frame. A single from Petersen drove home two and a single from Orr behind her picked up another run to make it 9-2 Lady Saints. They didn’t stop there. A bunt single from Joe Ann Rapoza put two runners on and Tiffanie Bolanos drove a run home with a single to make it a 10-2 game. With two outs Kennedy Brunson found the gap and the speedy second baseman raced around the pillows and attempted an inside the park home run before she was thrown out at the plate to end the inning with the score Seward 11 and Williston State 2.

Two straight misplayed balls by the Seward defense in the top of the 5th gave the Tetons a chance to extend the game, but Lady Saints starter Alexa O’Brien would have none of that as she retired the final three hitters she faced in the inning to slam the door and give the Lady Saints an 11-3 run rule win in the opener.

Seward outhit Williston 13-4 in the opener. Every Lady Saint starter had a hit including Jaidyn Mawhinney who was a perfect 3 for 3 with 3 runs scored at the top of the lineup and Orr who was 2 for 3 with 3 RBI’s in the victory. O’Brien improved to 7-4 on the season for the Lady Saints, pitching all 5 innings of the win, allowing 4 hits and 3 runs, 2 earned, while striking out 3.

SEWARD COUNTY/WILLISTON STATE GAME ONE BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/sball/2014-15/boxscores/20150313_c4fi.xml>

Runs were a little tougher to come by in game two of the doubleheader between the Lady Saints and the Tetons. Both teams left a runner on in the 1st and went 1-2-3 in the 2nd to quickly move to the 3rd with the game scoreless.

In the 3rd the Tetons put two runners on with two out and were unable to score while the Lady Saints did the same without coming up with anything to keep the score 0-0.

Williston continued to put runners on the basepaths in the 4th, getting a pair of one out singles, but once again, Seward starter Jaclyn Wagner answered the bell and left the runners stranded to keep her shutout intact.

The Lady Saints finally broke through in the bottom of the inning, getting a one out double from Rapoza and an RBI single from Clark to give themselves a 1-0 lead.

Seward opened up their lead in the bottom of the 5th inning, getting RBI singles from Petersen and Rapoza followed by a two out double from Clark to make it a 5-0 game.

The Tetons managed their first runs of game two in the top of the 6th, using a Seward error to jumpstart their offense. Williston got a one out single and then used a double steal to pick up a run to cut the Seward lead to 5-2.

The Lady Saints couldn’t pick up an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th and rapidly the game moved to the final inning with the score still Seward 5 and Williston 2.

A Seward error again allowed Williston to stay alive in the top half of the 7th and a free pass by Wagner gave the Tetons three shots at tying the game. But once again Wagner proved tougher, getting back to back pop outs and then a groundout to Brunson at second to end the threat and the game as the Lady Saints hung on to win 5-2.

Wagner won her third straight decision, going the distance and allowing 7 hits without an earned run to improve to 8-3 on the year. Seward’s offense backed her with 10 hits in the win, getting a 2 hit, 2 RBI performance from Rapoza and a 3 hit game from Vanessa Oakden at the bottom of the order.

SEWARD COUNTY/WILLISTON STATE GAME TWO BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/sball/2014-15/boxscores/20150313_x3nv.xml>

With the sweep the Lady Saints improve to 15-9 on the year while in the middle of their Spring Break trip, Williston drops to 4-3. The Lady Saints will now put on their sunscreen and head to the desert of Arizona where they will play six times in four days in Phoenix, battling Glendale on Tuesday, South Mountain Thursday, and Phoenix College on Friday. Seward returns home on Tuesday, March 24th when they host Colby in Jayhawk West action at Lady Saints Field in Liberal.

Roy Allen