The Seward baseball team experienced two kinds of pain Sunday afternoon at McDonald Stadium in El Dorado, They lost both games to the Butler Grizzlies. In game one, Seward led 4-3 with two outs and no one on base in the seventh but allowed four runs to lose 7-4. In game two, they were non competitive in a 12-0 loss in seven innings.
Even though the games were at Butler, the Saints were the home team on the scoreboard as these were makeup games from rainouts Thursday in Liberal.
In game one, the Grizzlies scored one unearned run in the first one one hit and one SCCC error. Seward tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the bottom of the first. Colton Rowan doubled to right and Ryan Todd singled home home. The Saints took a 3-1 lead with two in the second. Hayden Ramage and Kotaro Wakui singled to begin the inning. Grant Cox grounded a single up the middle to score a run. Nathan Hopkins blasted a sacrifice fly to left on a day when the wind was blowing in Butler wasted no time in tying the game a 3-3 with two in the third on one hit and and one walk. The Saints grabbed a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third. Brooks Barber and Ryan Todd singled to begin the inning. Blaine Chancy lined a single to left for the 4-3 lead. Seward hit into a double play to end an otherwise promising inning. The Saints maintained the 4-3 lead until the seventh. SCCC led 4-3 with one out and the bases empty in the seventh after Hayden Ramage threw out a runner trying to steal. A walk and a Butler double made it 4-4. Seward dropped a fly ball in center leading to a 5-4 BCC lead and paving the way for the four run inning. The Saints lost despited out-hitting the Grizzlies 11-6. But Seward had two errors leading to four unearned runs. Braden Whipple worked 5 and 1/3 innings allowing three runs. Kotaro Wakui was 2-3 with a double.
It was all Grizzlies in game two. Butler scored four in the first, one in the third, one in the fourth, and six in the seventh. Butler out-hit SCCC 13-4. Seward had the game’s only inning. Kotaro Wakui was Epic Touch Player of the Game in both games going 3-3 in game two.
This is the first time Butler has swept Seward in a double header in McDonald Stadium since 2018. Butler is 19-14 overall and 11-7 in the KJCCC West. The Saints have lost five in a row and are 15-22 overall and 2-12 in the Jayhawk West. They are in last place. Seward plays at Buter Monday at 11am with Saints Dugout Show at 10:45 on 1270 and 92.3.
