LIBERAL, Kan. – Exploding for 18 runs in game one, the Cloud County Community College baseball team would be held scoreless in the final three innings of game two to split their second-consecutive doubleheader with Seward County Community College at Brent Gould Field in Liberal, Kansas on Saturday, March 7th.

With the two teams splitting the four-game regular-season series, Cloud County is now 13-2 overall and 2-2 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference while the Saints sit at 7-12 overall and 2-2 in KJCCC play.

"We really felt like we should have swept today's doubleheader and its disappointing after such a great outing start to the day to let the second game slip away" said head coach Eric Gilliland in a post-game interview. "I didn't think we played terribly by any means, but we also didn't have a lot of things go our way in the series as a whole." "Overall we have to be more consistent as there were way too many lapses in our play as of late which is as much my fault as head coach any anyone else."

GAME ONE:

Jumping out to a 3-0 lead after one inning of play and 4-1 through two, the T-Birds would continue to add to their lead by scoring two in the third and five in the fourth while giving up just two runs to the Saints in the fourth to hold an 11-3 lead going to the fifth. Each team would plate four runs in the fifth before being held scoreless in the sixth before seeing CCCC tack on three more runs in the top of the seventh to finish off an 11-run victory.

Four T-Birds would register multiple hits in the contest led by a three-for-five performance from redshirt sophomore Ed Scott who would also drive in three runs and score twice. Of Cloud County's 14 hits, six would go for extra-bases while all nine players would record at least one hit.

Earning the win on the mound would be Tylor Jans after going 4.1 innings and allowing seven runs on nine hits and striking out six while Jarod Leroux would see action in relief and throw the final 2.2 innings of play and allow just one hit while striking out three.

GAME TWO:

Offensive production would once again be up and going from the start in the final game of the series as the T-Birds would score three in the first and one in the second but see Seward County plate a run in each of the first two innings. Cloud County's 4-2 lead would grow to 6-2 following two more runs in the top of the third, but the Saints would continue to find ways to push across runs in both the third and fourth innings to combine for five more runs over the two innings to go up 7-6 going to the fifth.

Seward County would then add two in the bottom of the fifth before giving up a run to CCCC in the sixth but respond with two runs in the bottom of the seventh and a run in the eighth while holding Cloud County scoreless in the final three innings of action to earn the split.

Stranding base runners would loom large again as Cloud County would see 10 runners left aboard to go along with three strikeouts. Davis Pratt, Noah Olson, and Scott would all collect two hits to account for six of CCCC's eight total with Pratt recording a team-high three RBI. The T-Birds would end up using four pitchers in the game, with Joseph Karall taking the loss after going four innings and allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and striking out four before turning things over to Haden Dow. Dow would throw 2.1 innings and allow four runs on four hits before seeing Trey Asher (0.2 innings) and Bradan Pierce (1.0 innings) finish out the game for Cloud County.

What's Next?

Due to games earlier in the season being lost with inclement weather, Cloud County has added a road non-conference doubleheader slated for Monday, March 9th against the Hastings College JV team. Both games will be scheduled for seven innings in length, with the twin bill set to get underway at 4 p.m.