Baseball Takes 2 of 3 in Weekend Series with Saint Mary

Sterling, Kan.- The Sterling College Warriors dominated their home field this weekend in a triple-header against the University of Saint Mary Spires. The sun shined on the fans and the Warriors as their offensive output was one of the best performances so far in the young season. This puts Sterling in sixth in the KCAC rankings and bumps their record to 9-10 overall.

Game 1- Sterling -13 St. Mary -

Despite the slow start the Warriors had in the first game, they finally found a rhythm that the Spires couldn't stop. Saint Mary had two runs in the first two innings. The Spires then added two more runs in the third inning, but the Warriors found their flow. It started with Luis Morales' single, who then advanced to second after a wild pitch by the Spires. He advanced to third on a single from Ryan Speer, then snuck home after another wild pitch.

Sterling tightened up their defense in the fourth inning, leaving zero opportunity for the Spires to score. Sterling then pulled off a 5 run fourth, taking the lead by two runs. Jackson Kawelo was hit by a pitch, then advanced to third after an Uziel Santos ground out to third and Dustin Chartrand reached on an error. Kawelo scored on a single from Aiden Rowan, leaving Chartrand to advance to second. Both Chartrand and Rowan scored after hits by Morales and Speer. Johnson singled to right field, allowing Morales to come around and score. Johnson and Speer would advance after a wild pitch but were left stranded as the Warriors struck out swinging. By the bottom of the fourth inning, the Warriors led 6-4.

The Warrior's defense stepped up once again holding the Spires scoreless in the fifth. The Warriors made another round of runs, putting three more runs on the scoreboard. Santos was hit by a pitch, then pinch-ran by James Easter. Easter advanced on a passed ball and a single from Chartrand. With a squeeze play from Rowan, Easter snuck in a run on the successful bunt attempt. Chartrand then scored on a triple from Morales. While Elvis Rumaldo grounded out at second, Morales was able to score on the play. Both Speer and Johnson walked in their at bats, but couldn't come around to score. The inning finished at 9-4, Warriors.

The Spires made their comeback in the sixth inning, scoring five runs of their own. With the game now tied, the Warriors answered with another run in the bottom of the sixth, giving them enough leverage to tip the inning in their favor. Santos doubled, then was pinch ran for by Easter. Easter snuck in a run after a single from Morales.

The seventh inning was quiet for both teams as they tightened their defenses. The Warriors then pulled out three more runs in the eighth inning, building a comfortable lead against the Spires. Kawleo walked, then advanced to second after a wild pitch when Kyle Boomgaarden was at bat. Boomgaarden singled and Kawelo scored after a throwing error from the Spire's catcher. Boomgaarden scored after a double from Chartrand. Morales grounded out to the shortstop, and Chartrand scored. This ended the inning after a strikeout from Rumaldo and Layne Thacker flew out to right field.

The ninth inning finished with zero runs for the Spires, finishing the game 13-9, Sterling. Four pitchers shared the mound this game. During Camrin Wleczyk's four innings, he gave seven hits and four runs and struck out two Spire batters. Tyler Duffey played two innings, giving the Spires two hits and two runs, but had one strikeout. Reid Heidtbrink also played two innings, giving one run to the Spires. In Gentry Bradbury's short time on the mound, he gave one hit and three runs to the Spires. Duffey was credited with the win.

Game 2- Sterling -14 St. Mary -0

The Warriors blanked the Spires in the second game, tallying up 14 runs before the game was called in the seventh inning. The Warriors started the first inning with an exceptional defense against the Spires, cutting their chances for runs after a single hit. The Warriors then started their offensive onslaught with Morales at the bat. Morales was hit by the pitch, then advanced after a single from Rumaldo, and Speer was hit by the pitch. With bases loaded, Keller was walked, allowing Morales to walk home. Easter pinch-ran for Keller. Rumaldo walked in a run after Kawelo was hit by the pitch. Albert Bisono-Rodriguez popped up to shortstop. A Chartrand double cleared the bases as Kawelo, Easter, and Speer came around to score. Rowan was hit by the pitch and Chartrand stole third. But the Warriors were cut off from any more offense after Morales grounded out, ending the inning.

The second inning was almost as good for the Warriors, performing another solid defensive inning before continuing their streak of runs. Rumaldo started strong after he walked, stealing second and third. Speer struck out swinging. Johnson was hit by the pitch. Keller singled and Rumaldo scored. Bisono-Rodriguez walked, filling the bases with Keller on second and Johnson advancing to third. Johnson scored on a wild pitch, then was followed by Bisono-Rodriguez's and Easter's runs after Kawelo's single to left field. The inning ended after Chartrand struck out swinging and Rowan popped the ball up to shortstop.

The Warriors slowed down in the third inning, adding two more runs during their time at bat. Sterling scored one run each inning in the fourth, fifth, and sixth. The game ended in the seventh inning after the Warrior's flawless defense, the score 14-0.

Andrew Mason dominated the pitcher's mound this game. Mason got the complete game shutout as he struck out five Spire batters this game and gave up eight hits and zero runs.

Game 3- Sterling -4 St. Mary -5

The Spires stole the last game from the Warriors, avoiding the sweep. The first inning started with zero runs, both team's defenses were solid early on. The Spires had one run in the second inning, then two more runs in the third inning.

The Warriors responded with a run of their own in the fourth inning, made by Speer. Speer singled to right field, then scored after a double from Kawelo. The Spires had another run in the fifth inning, and the Warriors tried to close the gap with two runs of their own. Chartrand singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Chartrand then watched as Morales was hit by a pitch and Rowan struck out. Chartrand was caught stealing at third. Morales advanced to third on a wild pitch and then came around to score as Rumaldo reached second on an error by the Spire outfield. Rumaldo stole third and then scored on a wild pitch. The inning ended with a Johnson strikeout.

The Warriors were down by one run by the sixth inning until the Spires scored another run during the top half of the sixth. The Warriors plated one run as well by Speer. Speer started with a single to right field. He advanced to second after Kawelo grounded out, then to third on a passed ball. Santos flew out to center field, giving time for Speer to score on the sacrifice. Thacker flew out to center field, ending the inning 5-4, Spires. Neither team scored in the seventh so that is where the game ended.

Three Warriors shared the pitchers' mound this game. Chris Issac played three innings, giving up four hits and three runs, and had two strikeouts. Bradbury also pitched three innings, giving up four hits, two runs, and striking out two batters. During Duffey's one inning on the mound, he struck out one Spire batter.

The Warriors continue their conference season with a single game at McPherson College on Tuesday, followed by a 3 game series at Ottawa over the weekend. Sterling won't return home until the following weekend when they play York University for three games.

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 all of the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.