LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – It looked as if the Southwestern College baseball team was going to snap their 15-game losing streak with a comeback victory against the University of Saint Mary Spires in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) play on Saturday afternoon. The game began with four unanswered runs by the Spires, but SC would score 10 of the next 12 runs to take a 10-6 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning, when a rain delay halted things for nearly an hour. Once the battle continued, the Builders gave up six of the final seven tallies, including three in the ninth inning. The weather-aided surge sunk Southwestern in a 12-11 walk-off defeat against Saint Mary.
Saint Mary scored three runs in the first inning to get things going, as they were helped by a pair of two-base hits. A double to score one run was the first RBI knock of the ballgame, and a subsequent double drove in a pair of runs for the Spires, putting SC behind 3-0 early.
Another run by USM in the second made it 4-0 on a run-scoring single. Southwestern, though, would respond quickly be erasing that run with an RBI single in the top of inning number three by London Penland to drive in Joseph Finder. The 4-1 deficit would be lengthened in the bottom of the third, as Saint Mary scored a run on an error and also grabbed one via an RBI groundout.
Southwestern began their comeback in the top of the fourth with a run on a passed ball by USM, and would have their biggest frame of the bout in the top of the fifth, when they scored six times. An RBI single by Marcus Burton to score Penland began the stanza, while a double by Noah Prince scored Burton for the second run of the inning. Then, Will Johannsen's two-RBI double down the left-field line brought home both Josh Crabtree and Prince. Andrew Brown would join the parade with a run-scoring double to right field. He brought in Johannsen with his knock, and Chris Weatherford was responsible for hitting in the final run of the frame with a single to left field. Brown crossed the plate to make it an 8-6 ballgame in the Builders' favor after four-and-a-half.
Both squads traded two spots in the sixth, as Southwestern got things started with a two-run single by Brown to drive in Tyler Seboldt and Jo. Crabtree. Two sacrifice flies by the Spires in the bottom of the sixth made it 10-8 after the conclusion of the frame.
The sides traded single tallies in the seventh after the rain delay, as Jo. Crabtree tallied a single up the middle to score a run for SC. Penland made his way across the plate to give the Builders a three-run lead at 11-8. Then, USM grabbed another sac fly to make it 11-9 after seven.
Three Spire runs came in in the bottom of the ninth to win the game for Saint Mary, as walks and hit-by-pitches haunted the Moundbuilders. A fielding error allowed a run, as well as a bases-loaded walk with no outs. Then, a pair of strikeouts with the winning run at third gave hope that SC may have a chance to get out of the jam. But, a bases-loaded HBP with two outs afforded the Spires the victory over the Builders in walk-off fashion, 12-11.
A 16-11 hit advantage for the Moundbuilders did not end up resulting in a triumph for SC, though it was a welcome development for a scuffling Builder offense. Five players had multi-hit efforts on Saturday, as Jo. Crabtree (3-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB), Prince (3-for-6, 2 2B, RBI, R), Brown (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R, BB), Weatherford (2-for-5, RBI, BB) and Seboldt (2-for-6, R) tallied two or more base hits. Every Southwestern hitter in the starting lineup had at least one hit in the loss, and seven of them had one or more runs batted in.
Jaxon Burns took the hill to begin the tilt, but did not have his best stuff. He delivered two innings of work for SC, but allowed four earned tallies on six hits and walked a pair of hitters. He did rack up two strikeouts, as well. Jared Stoffel managed to toss 2.2 scoreless frames in relief, allowing two hits in that span. He walked three and struck out one in his performance. Reyden Rull provided a third of an inning to get the Builders out of danger in the fifth, after Stoffel exited mid-inning. Micah Cleveland gave up two runs on two hits in the sixth, and Braden Ash followed with a single run allowed in the seventh on three free passes. Dylan Navarrette put forth a clean eighth inning with one strikeout, but Jacob Woodburn could not find the command in this one, allowing three runs (two earned) on just one hit and three walks. He also had a hit-by-pitch in the stanza, but did supply the Moundbuilders with two punchouts. If an error had not been committed earlier in the inning, he may have been able to wiggle out of danger.
The schedule has shifted slightly with the weather in the area, as the doubleheader between the Builders (8-31, 2-21 KCAC) and the Spires will now be played tomorrow, Apr. 16 beginning at 12 p.m. in Leavenworth. It will be the final road weekend games of the season for the Moundbuilders, who have their final two weekend series' of the season in the KCAC at home at the end of the month.
--buildersports.com--
