By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Since suffering an early-season loss to Centennial League foe Manhattan, Seaman is looking more and more like the program that has won nine Class 5A state championships and made 16 consecutive state appearances.
And Viking coach Trent Oliva said that defeat may have been good for team, which ran its win streak to to seven games with an 11-0, 18-0 league sweep over Topeka West Thursday at Hummer Sports Park, improving to 8-1 on the season.
"It may have gotten our attention a little bit more, it maybe helped us focus a little bit more,'' Oliva said of the Manhattan loss. "We did a good job responding that night, winning the second game of the night and then we've been able now to keep that ball rolling.''
![Seaman baseball coach Trent Oliva (center) talks to his team after the Vikings swept Topeka West Thursday night to improve to 8-1 and increase their win streak to seven games. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]](/images/aa-images/Seamanbaseballgroup.jpg)
Seaman baseball coach Trent Oliva (center) talks to his team after the Vikings swept Topeka West Thursday night to improve to 8-1 and increase their win streak to seven games. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman dominated Thursday's twinbill against West from start to finish, with seniors Kevin Mannell and Brady Stuewe combining for a one-hitter in the first game and junior Mason McConnaughey throwing a three-inning no-hitter in the nightcap.
Seaman scored in all five of its at-bats in the opener, scoring a run in the first, four in the second, one in the third, four runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to end the game via the 10-run spread rule.
Viking senior Kolden Howerton went 3 for 4 in the first game with a pair of doubles and four runs batted in while junior Maclane Finley was 2 for 3 with two RBI and three runs scored and junior Braden Colley had a double and two RBI.
Junior Zander Putthoff had the lone hit for Topeka West.
Finley, Colley and junior Brayden Varner all had two hits in the second game and senior Micah Kobuszewski a double, with Varner and Colley knocking in two runs each and senior Cole Askew, Colley and Stuewe all scoring three runs.
Seaman scored a run in the first and then put the game away with 11 runs in the second before scoring its final six runs in the third. The game ended after three innings due to the 15-run spread rule asTopeka West fell to 2-8 on the season.
Seaman junior Mason McConnaughey pitched a 3-inning no-hitter in Thursday's 18-0 second-game win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman will pass the halfway mark of its regular season with a home doubleheader against Junction City on Tuesday and Oliva said he's pleased with what the Vikings have accomplished thus far..
"We're getting some good feedback from the guys, but at the same time there's obviously things we still need to work on and clean up each time,'' Oliva said. "Every coach wants to play that perfect game and obviously we haven't played that and maybe we won't, maybe we will, but we're looking to be as clean as we can be and as sharp as we can be and trying to get better each and every day at practice.''
FIRST GAME
SEAMAN 11, TOPEKA WEST 0
Seaman 141 41 -- 11 7 0
Topeka West 000 00 -- 0 1 0
Mannell, Stuewe (5) and Kirmer. Noogaard-Peterson, Malcom (4) and Malcom, Tidwell. W -- Mannell. L -- Noogaard-Peterson. 2B -- Seaman: Howerton 2, Colley.
SECOND GAME
SEAMAN 18, TOPEKA WEST 0
Seaman (8-1) 1(11)6 -- 18 9 0
Topeka West (2-8) 000 -- 0 0 4
McConnaughey and Kirmer, Howerton. Putthoff, Boydstun (2), Speaker (2) and Malcom. W -- McConnaughey. L -- Putthoff. 2B -- Seaman: Kobuszewski.
