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Saints Struggle with Ranked Foes in Odessa

Brock Kappelmann - February 20, 2017 3:53 pm

February 18, 2017

Day one of the Seward County Saints trip to the Lone Star State Saturday will not be one that they will want to stay in their memory bank for long. Taking on Odessa in a doubleheader, the Saints were hammered 11-2 and 11-1 by the Wranglers to send them to 4-8 on the young season.

Odessa was on the board early and often in game one, plating three runs in the bottom half of the 1st to take a 3-0 lead on the Saints after one.

The Wranglers blew things open early on with a four spot in the 2nd to make it a 7-0 game.

It was a 9-0 game in favor of Odessa after four as the Wranglers pushed two more across in the 4th to put the game away midway through.

The Saints finally got on the board in the 5th with a pair of runs to make it 9-2, but Odessa answered with two of their own in the 6th to push their lead back to nine at 11-2.

Seward put two on in their final at bats in the 7th, but struck out three times, including a backwards K to finish things off in an 11-2 Wrangler win.

The Wranglers pounded out 17 hits against Seward pitching in the contest while Seward had 9 hits in the loss. Four different Saints had multiple hits in the game including Errett Edwards who finished 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Brian Tims took the loss on the hill, allowing 12 hits and 9 runs, 6 earned in 3 2/3 to fall to 1-2 on the year.

SEWARD COUNTY/ODESSA GAME ONE BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2016-17/boxscores/20170218_uxnu.xml>

Game two didn’t start much better for Seward as Odessa struck for six unearned runs after a Saint error in the 2nd to take an early 6-0 lead.

The Saints had a chance to answer back in the top of the 3rd as they put two on with one out, but a line drive and a strikeout ended the threat and kept the Wranglers comfortably in front 6-0.

Odessa added another run in the 4th and then blew the game wide open in the sixth with four more to make it an 11-0 game.

Seward got their only run of the game on a balk from Odessa pitcher Wellington Belen and went down quietly in the 7th 11-1.

The Wranglers outhit Seward 13-8 in the game, but it wasn’t the hits that hurt the Saints, it was their three errors that led to six unearned Odessa runs in the contest. Tabor Johns was the only Saint with multiple hits in the game as he finished 2 for 3 with the lone Seward run scored. Jordan Pepper took the loss on the mound, falling to 0-1 on the year as he allowed 8 hits and 7 runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched.

SEWARD COUNTY/ODESSA GAME TWO BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2016-17/boxscores/20170218_f1uv.xml>

Sunday

The Seward County Saints went toe to toe with #16 McLennan and #10 Midland Sunday in a split doubleheader in the Lone Star State, but came up on the short end of 8-5 and 7-2 decisions to send them on the long bus ride home with more questions than answers 14 games into the 2017 season.

The Saints squared off against a solid McLennan team in the first game of the twinbill, falling behind 2-0 before their first at bats on a two run Highlanders triple in the top half of the 1st inning.

Seward starter Jared Biddy settled in from there though, holding the high powered Highlander attack off the board again until the 7th when Seward went to their bullpen and immediately gave up a three run home run to make it a 5-0 game.

The Saints offense was stagnant, failing to get a single runner past second base through the first six innings, before finally breaking through on an RBI single from Brian Tims in the 7th to cut the McLennan lead to 5-1.

McLennan answered right back, pushing home a run on a bunt and two more with a home run later in the inning to stretch their lead back out to 8-1.

An RBI double from Trent Powell and a two run home run from Law Greiner brought the Saints back to within striking distance, but the deficit was too much as they fell 8-5 to drop their third straight.

The Saints had 10 hits in the loss, getting two hit efforts from Addison Kaasch, Cody Stineman, Brian Tims, and Powell who finished with two RBI’s for Seward. Biddy took the loss on the mound, allowing 4 hits and 4 runs while striking out 7 in 6 1/3 innings of work to fall to 1-2 on the year.

SEWARD COUNTY/#16 MCLENNAN BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2016-17/boxscores/20170219_zivh.xml>

In game two, Seward took on red hot Midland who came into the contest with just one loss on the year. The Chaparrals took an early lead, getting a 1st inning run on a pair of hits to go in front 1-0.

Saints starter Jonathan Castillo retired the side in order in the 2nd and 3rd innings and the Saints evened things up with a run in the 4th to make it a 1-1 game.

The big blow for Midland came in the bottom of the 4th on a three run home run from Eric Senior to stretch the Chap lead to 4-1.

Midland added two more in the 5th to make it 6-1, but Tims singled home a run in the bottom of the inning to cut it to a four run game as the teams went to the 7th.

Both teams had their chances in the 7th as Midland loaded the bases with one out but couldn’t score and the Saints put two on with one out and couldn’t manage anything to keep it a 6-2 game.

Midland added an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th, but they wouldn’t need it as a double play ended the Saints hopes for a comeback in the 9th as Midland went on to win 7-2.

Seward managed just five hits in the loss as Errett Edwards finished 2 for 2 with a pair of walks and both of the Saints runs scored and Tims supplied two of the other three hits for the guys in green. Castillo was saddled with the loss on the mound, going 5 innings, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits while striking out 8 to drop to 1-3 on the year.

SEWARD COUNTY/#10 MIDLAND BOX SCORE<http://www.sewardsaints.com/sports/bsb/2016-17/boxscores/20170219_72ad.xml>

The winless weekend drops the Saints to 4-10 on the year which equals their worst start to a season since the 1990 campaign.

The Saints will have a while to regroup, not seeing the field again until March 1st when they take on Frank Phillips at Brent Gould Field to open up a five game home stand.

 

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