CONCORDIA, Kansas — The Cloud County Community College baseball team closed out its home schedule over the weekend against Butler Community College, treating fans to the best baseball the team has played in 2016-17 as they took three of four from the Grizzlies, including a sweep of Sunday's Sophomore Day doubleheader.

"I'm really proud of our guys to continue to persevere all year and try to play our best baseball when it counts. Our guys came out and gave every ounce they had this weekend and it came together to win a huge series," said Cloud County head coach, Eric Gilliland. "It felt like we put together a complete weekend for the first time this year."

With the wins, Cloud County (23-27 overall, 10-18 KJCCC West) inches closer to a guaranteed spot in the Region VI Playoffs as they moved into a tie for seventh place with Seward County. The Saints and T-Birds each have one series left to vie for position, while Butler (19-27 overall, 11-21 KJCCC West) has finished its conference schedule. Pratt sits ninth, three wins behind Cloud and Seward, with six games to play as of Sunday night.

Sophomore right-hander Gabriel Jacobo (3-3) set the tone for the series in Game One as the converted middle infielder tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout to guide the T-Birds to a 3-0 victory.

Jacobo battled command issues off and on, issuing three of eight walks in the first inning, but survived the free passes by punching out 10 Grizzlies hitters over his seven innings. The one hit against him came in the third inning, but was erased on an inning ending 6-4-3 double-play.

"Gabe was effectively wild. He had good stuff and was all around the zone," Gilliland said. "Butler never really got comfortable against him. We moved him to the (first doubleheader) just to set the tone and he certainly did that for us."

Offensively, Cloud County manufactured all three runs with small ball.

Sophomore first baseman Kolton Meyer hit a sac fly in the fourth inning to bring home fellow sophomore Jacob Grady. Then in the sixth, Cloud added two insurance runs on four singles, three of which that didn't leave the infield.

After dropping Game Two, 8-1, to conclude Saturday's action, the T-Birds responded with wins of 13-5 and 6-4 on Sunday.

Sophomore southpaw John Stiger (4-5) pitched a complete game in Game Three's 13-5 win, allowing five runs, four earned, on three hits. He walked four and struck out nine en route to his fourth win of the season.

Stiger got plenty of early run support as Cloud scored one run in the first inning — an RBI walk for Trae McDaniel — then added six runs in the second inning, aided by a 3-run throwing error by the Butler pitcher.

The T-Birds put the game on ice with a four-run sixth inning, courtesy of a two-run home run by freshman Ryan Krolikowski and a two-run double by freshman Tauren Langley, who finished 3-for-5 with four RBI in Game Three. The home run was the fourth of the season for Krolikowski.

Cloud County polished off its second KJCCC West series win — the T-Birds swept Pratt back on March 24-25 — with a 6-4, come-from-behind win in Game Four.

Cloud trails 4-1 entering the seventh inning before striking for four runs to take the lead.

Freshman outfielder Matt Bondarchuk, who went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, roped a two-run single to right field. Langley followed with an RBI single that score freshman outfielder Ryan Simons, and Bondarchuk followed with the go-ahead run after the ball was misplayed in left field.

Sophomore catcher Garrett Graveline, who was 3-of-5 throwing base runners out during the series, did damage with his bat in Game Four, finishing 4-for-4 with an RBI double in the eighth inning that bumped Cloud's lead to 6-4.

Freshman right-hander Jacob Uhing (3-2) pitched a clean ninth inning — his third inning of scoreless relief — to nail down the victory.

"What we hadn't done all year was do what we did in Game Four, which was come from behind," Gilliland said. "The stakes for this game were pretty huge as far as standings go. For our guys to dig, claw and beat a conference opponent to win a series; I can't say enough good things about our fight and competitiveness this weekend."

Cloud County will look to keep the momentum rolling when it closes out its regular season schedule next week. The T-Birds start with a pair of non-conference road games against Hastings College JV on Wednesday before an important four-game set against Barton next Saturday and Sunday.