WINFIELD, Kan. – The final game of this weekend's three-game Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference series between the Southwestern College baseball team and the (RV) Tabor College Bluejays was played on Sunday afternoon at Broadway Sports Complex in Winfield. The battle was, for the most part, dominated by the visitors. But, a late rally for the Moundbuilders helped them work their way onto the scoreboard in the final frame. Ultimately, an 8-3 loss would be added to the Builders' season record, as they suffered the sweep to the Bluejays over the weekend.

Both sides were retired in order in the first inning, as it seemed that the pitching staffs had settled in quickly. Then, though, Tabor got runners to second and third with one out in the top of the second. A strikeout by Moundbuilder hurler Gannon Dow put the second out on the board, and any out from that point forward could end the frame without a run being allowed to cross the plate. Unfortunately, after Dow induced a groundball, a throwing error to first base allowed both baserunners to score and the hitter to reach second base. Then, the following hitter singled home that runner from second, making it 3-0 entering the bottom of the inning.

After the three unearned runs were allowed by SC in the top of the second, the Builders were retired in order. Neither team scored in the third inning, either, as Dow was pitching well at that point in the tilt.

Tabor would derail Dow slightly in the fourth, when they had their first four hitters reach base via a walk and three singles. Over that span, one run came across to score. Two separate bases-loaded walks later in the inning made it the Bluejays' second three-run inning of the battle. In the bottom of the fourth, Southwestern got their first hit of the game on a bunt single to the third baseman by London Penland, but could not bring him home.

Southwestern brought the arm of Josh Crabtree to the mound in the fifth and shut down Tabor, though the SC offense was still stuck in the mud and did not score in the bottom half. The Bluejays would make Jo. Crabtree pay by hitting a two-run homer in the top of the sixth, making it 8-0 for the visitors.

Following the top of the sixth, neither side scored a single run until the top of the ninth, when the Builders finally got off the schneid against the Tabor starting pitcher. The first three hitters of the inning, Tyler Seboldt (2B), Joseph Finder (HBP) and Penland (1B, RBI), reached base and tallied the teams first run. Then, against a relief arm, Marcus Burton hooked a double down the left-field line to drive home both Finder and Penland, making it an 8-3 game with still no outs. Things were looking interesting for Southwestern at that point, but the next three hitters were retired on a strikeout, a popout and a flyout, ending the game with an 8-3 final in favor of the Bluejays.

The Moundbuilders ended up with just five hits in the game, as three of those came in the final stanza. Both Seboldt (2-for-4, 2B, R) and Penland (2-for-4, R, SB) had multi-hit performances and the remaining hit came from Burton on his two-RBI double in the ninth.

After Dow and Jo. Crabtree teamed up to toss the first six innings of the game, a trio of Builder relievers pitched a scoreless three remaining frames. Braden Ash provided an inning of work in the seventh, allowing one hit and one walk, but no runs came across in the frame. Reyden Rull then tossed the eighth with success, allowing one hit, but he quickly erased that hit with a 1-4-3 double play. Jacob Woodburn had a clean three-up-three-down ninth inning to end the day for the SC pitching staff.

With another conference series in the books for Southwestern (8-19, 2-9 KCAC), they set their eyes forward on another KCAC powerhouse in (RV) Kansas Wesleyan University. The Builders will battle the Coyotes on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26 as they look to get back into the win column. The doubleheader on Saturday will begin at 2 p.m. in Salina, Kan., and the single game on Sunday will commence at 1 p.m.

--buildersports.com--