HAYS, Kansas — The Cloud County Community College baseball team struggled to get the bats going Friday during the first two games of its four-game set against Seward County Community College, played at Larks Park in Hays, Kansas due to heavy rains in Concordia earlier in the week.

The T-Birds (16-18 overall, 6-12 KJCCC West) fell 2-1 in eight innings in the series opener and suffered another one-run heartbreaker in Game Two, having their seventh-inning rally come up one run shy in a 4-3 loss to the Saints (12-21 overall, 5-9 KJCCC)

"It comes down to the little things when you play tight ballgames," said Cloud County head coach, Eric Gilliland. "Overall, just not real happy with what happened (Friday). We didn't carry over our offensive approach from the Pratt series."

Game One got off to a good start for the T-Birds as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by freshman Matt Bondarchuk and an RBI triple to deep center by sophomore Jacob Grady.

Unfortunately, that would be the last time Cloud County would get after Seward County starting pitcher Jared Biddy as he limited the T-Birds to one hit over the next seven innings.

"I tip my cap to Jared Biddy in the first game. He was probably the best guy we've seen all year and really shut us down," Gilliland said. "But even there, we had opportunities to win that game and couldn't get it done."

Seward County took the lead in the top of the eighth on an opposite-field solo home run from Addison Kaasch, spoiling what was a great outing by sophomore starting pitcher, Drew Scrimsher.

Scrimsher matched Biddy as he went eight innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter.

Cloud put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, but couldn't get the big knock to tie.

The theme continued in Game Two as Cloud was held hitless until the seventh inning by Saints starter Ethan Earhart.

The T-Birds received another strong start, this time by freshman Patrick Rosborough as he went seven innings, allowed four runs on a pair of two-run home runs, and struck out six.

The second home run came in the top of the seventh inning on an 0-2 pitch that bumped Seward County's lead to 4-1.

"Patrick pitched well most of the game, but it's the little things that get magnified in close games," Gilliland said. "That home run in the seventh was an 0-2 pitch that shouldn't have been around the zone."

The T-Birds rallied for two runs in the home-half of the inning as Preston Allerheiligen scored on a wild pitch and Garrett Graveline came home on a two-out RBI single by Ryan Simons, but the comeback ended one run shy.

Cloud County will look to bounce back Sunday when it heads back out to Hays for the final two games of the series. Start times are set for 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

"We have to refocus and get the team back playing with a chip on our shoulders," Gilliland said. "We didn't play with that chip (Friday) and it cost us two ballgames."