LINDSBORG, Kan. – On Sunday afternoon, the Southwestern College baseball squad would finish off their Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) series with the Bethany College Swedes. A day consisting of two bouts began with a difficult 22-5 loss, making the finale of the three-game set a rubber match for the series triumph. After starting the game down 7-2 after two frames, the Builders would rally to rattle off a 14-3 tally over the last five innings to earn a 16-10 win, as well as a KCAC series victory.

"I am proud of our guys for the way they responded to adversity today," said head coach Chris Dawson. "We came out flat and got embarrassed in game one, but we bounced back and took care of business in the second game."

Nothing really went to plan in the opening game of the day, as Bethany came out quickly with four runs in the bottom of the first to take a 4-0 lead. Two RBI singles and a two-run double put them up, as that lead would remain through the end of the third inning.

Southwestern would grab a run for their side in the top half of inning number four, as Josh Crabtree would send home Marcus Burton to make it a 4-1 deficit entering the bottom of the fourth. Then, though, a nine spot from the Swedes blew the game open. Four run-scoring singles, along with three run-scoring doubles, as well as a two-run two-bagger and a RBI groundout; made the Bethany lead 13-1 after four full frames.

After a scoreless fifth inning on both sides, the Moundbuilders would provide a three-run top of the sixth. They received an RBI single from Burton, which drove home London Penland, and were then able to get a run-scoring double from Jo. Crabtree. A pinch-hit sacrifice fly by David Morales brought home the squad's third run of the inning, making it 13-4.

Yet another nine-run inning from the Swedes was produced in the bottom of the sixth, though, as SC could not convert a single shutdown inning in the battle. Bethany tallied seven hits in the inning to drive home the nine runs, and took a 22-4 lead into the top of the seventh inning, where the Builders would need to score at least nine times to keep the game going due to the 10-run rule.

Though SC did get one run on a pinch-hit RBI double down the left-field line by Brady Johnson in the seventh, that is all they could manage, as they fell 22-5 in seven innings.

A passed ball with Joseph Finder at third base in the top of the first of game two would send home the game's first run, as SC held a 1-0 lead after their first at-bat. Unfortunately, things began bleakly for the Builders again, as five Bethany runs would come in to score in the bottom of inning number one. An RBI double, a run-scoring fielder's choice and a three-run round-tripper put the Swedes up 5-1 after one.

Bethany also could not stop SC from scoring in the top of the second, as Andrew Brown supplied a sacrifice fly to left field, driving home Will Johannsen. Again, though, Bethany snagged two runs of their own, as it felt as if Southwestern could not respond with a zero on defense. The 7-2 Bethany lead seemed to be out of reach due to the Swedes' ability to respond on offense.

The Builders would continue to chip away, though, as two more SC runs would score in the top of the third. Burton delivered an RBI single to score Finder, and Johannsen hit a sac fly to center, driving in Burton. With a 7-4 Moundbuilder deficit, another run was afforded to the Swedes, as they grabbed a run via a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning.

Trailing 8-4, the Builders finally broke through with a five-run frame in the top of the fourth. The scoring in the inning began with a sacrifice fly by Landon Tinsman, bringing home Trevor Abitia. Then, a two-run double down the right-field line by Finder drove home both Tyler Seboldt and Brown. That knock was followed by a run-scoring triple to right-center field by Penland, which sent home Finder, as Burton ended the frame with a run-scoring single to center to drive in Penland. All told, SC had snagged a 9-8 lead with just a few innings remaining.

The Builders would add two more onto their lead in the top of the sixth, after neither side scored in the fifth frame. Burton doubled down the right-field line to score both Finder and Penland, making it 11-8 for the Moundbuilders. Bethany would score a single run in the bottom of the inning, cutting the SC lead to two runs with one inning to go.

A decisive knockout blow was delivered by Southwestern in the top of the seventh, as the squad's hottest hitter came to the dish with the bases loaded and one out recorded. Burton swiftly delivered a grand-slam homer to left field to make the SC lead 15-9 at that point. Jo. Crabtree would score later in the inning on a passed ball, making it 16-9 with Bethany needing seven runs to tie in the final half inning. They would get just one of those tallies, as the Builders went on to win, 16-10.

Not much was clicking on offense for the Builders in game one, as they only delivered six hits in the loss, but they managed to tally 14 its in the latter battle of the day. The standout performance of the day came from Burton (5-for-5, HR, 2B, 8 RBI, 2 R, 3 SB) in game two. He was responsible for more than a third of the team's hits in the latter battle of the afternoon. Finder (2-for-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 5 R, 3 SB), Penland (2-for-3, 3B, RBI, 3 R, SB), Johannsen (2-for-4, RBI, R, SB) and Abitia (2-for-4, 2B, R, 2 SB) all had a pair of hits in the late game on Sunday. The squad had 13 stolen bases in the triumph, as they tallied 27 for the weekend.

"Marcus Burton was outstanding today offensively," said Dawson. "and we continued to put pressure on them with our aggressive base running."

It was not the pitching staff's strongest day, as they allowed a combined 33 runs, but they did what needed to be done in the late stages of the rubber match. After Gannon Dow's four innings of eight-run work, Reyden Rull and Jacob Woodburn combined to toss the last three innings, while allowing only two runs in that span. Their efforts allowed the Builder offense to snap out of its funk and win the series.

"It is always good to get a conference series win," Dawson continued. "Now it is time to get ready for a tough Oklahoma Wesleyan team coming into town on Tuesday."

Though it may not have been pretty at times, the Moundbuilders (8-15, 2-5 KCAC) won their first conference series of 2023 against the Swedes. Next up on the slate is a midweek battle against the Eagles of Oklahoma Wesleyan University at Broadway Sports Complex on Tuesday, March 14 at 2 p.m.

--buildersports.com--