Sterling comes away from Kansas City with a win

Sterling College baseball traveled to Kansas City, Mo. to take on Avila University in a three-game series on Friday and Saturday, on April 11-12. The Warriors came out with a win in the final game of the series.

Game 1

Sterling started out the series with an 11-5 loss on Friday.

Avila started with a big five-run inning in the bottom of the second. The Eagles added to their lead with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.

The Warriors got on the board in the top of the fifth as Ezavian Campos grounded into a double play that Nehemiah House turned into a score.

The Eagles extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth with two home runs and a double to increase the lead to 11-1.

Sterling did not go away quietly with four scores in the top of the sixth. Austin Santiago got it started on a walk with bases loaded. House and Emmanuel Huerta Cardenas both took advantage of an error by the first baseman to get home for two more runs.

Campos closed out the inning with a single to right field to bring Santiago home and make the score 11-5.

Jace Phillips started things off from the mound for the Warriors. He pitched two and one-third innings giving up seven hits which resulted in five runs, three walks and one strikeout. Cooper Lovelace came in as relief, he pitched two and two-third innings, surrendering seven hits which resulted in six runs, walking one batter and striking out two.

Joseph Haynes came in as the most effective pitcher to close for Sterling. He pitched three innings giving up one hit, which resulted in no runs. He didn't walk a batter and struck out one.

Almanza led Sterling with two RBIs and the trio of Luis Morales, Jackson Parmenter and Santiago teamed up a double play for the Warriors.

Game 2

The Warriors played a much closer game on Saturday but came up short in the first game of a doubleheader against Avila losing 8-6.

The Eagles struck first in the bottom of the first with a single to center field from Ricky Dober to bring home Landon Vahle in for the run.

Sterling answered back quickly in the top of the second with a home run from House to tie things up 1-1.

Avila extended their lead with two more runs in the bottom of the second and one more run in the bottom of the third.

House batted in another run in the top of the fourth with a double to left field to bring home Santiago.

Three more runs were scored by the Eagles in the bottom of the fourth and one more run in the bottom of the seventh to give Avila the 8-2 lead.

The Warriors closed he gab in the top of the eighth with a single from House to bring home Andrew Dutro for the run.

Sterling rallied in the top of the ninth starting with a single to left field from Parmenter to advance Campos home, Santiago brought home Dutro with a single to right field and House finished things off with a double to left field to bring home Parmenter leaving the Warriors just short at 8-6.

Aaron Alvarado started from the mound for the Warriors. He pitched three and two-third innings, facing 22 batters, giving up five hits, which resulted in seven runs (four unearned), walking one batter and striking out one.

Eric Villa came in as relief, pitching the remaining four and one-third innings. He faced 18 batters, surrendering five hits, which resulted in one run and striking out three batters.

House led the Warriors in RBIs with four while Dutro led in runs with two.

Game 3

Flipping the score from game one, Sterling got the 11-5 win over the Eagles in the final game of the series.

The Warriors struck first in the top of the fourth with a double to left center from Parmenter to bring home Dutro and Morales and put Sterling up 2-0.

Avila came back in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings combining for five runs to put the Eagles on top, 5-2.

Sterling put things to rest with a huge nine-run inning in the top of the sixth to put things well out of reach for Avila.

Santiago got things started with a single to right field to bring Cardenas home for the score. House singled to left field to advance Dutro home for the run. Joshua Garcia brought home Santiago and Parmenter with a single to right field to give Sterling the lead.

Campos added to the Warrior's lead with a single to right field to bring House home. Huerta Cardenas and Dutro were walked back-to-back to bring in two more runs and Parmenter singled to left field to bring in Huerta Cardenas and Morales and give Sterling the ultimate 11-5 win.

Aaron Elsasser started things off from the mound for the Warriors. He pitched four and two-thirds of the seven innings. Facing 26 batters, Elsasser gave up eight hits which resulted in five runs, walking three batters while striking out three.

Jackson Califono came in as relief for the Warriors. He pitched two and one-third innings, surrendering one hit which resulted in zero runs, no walks and one strikeout.

Parmenter led the Warriors in RBIs with four followed by Garcia with two.

The Warriors will be back in action on Tuesday, April 15 against Kansas Wesleyan University at home at 3 p.m.

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.