By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Seaman baseball team had to settle for a split of a doubleheader with Lansing when the Lions held on for an extra-inning win in the second game Tuesday at Seaman.
The Vikings ran away with the first game of the night 13-3, powered by six extra base hits in five innings. Pitcher Bryson Vawter earned the victory, striking out 10 Lions.
Seaman senior Bryson Vawter picked up the pitching win in Tuesday's 13-3 first-game win over Lansing. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman sophomore Max Huston had a home run in the Vikings' 13-3 first-game UKC win over Lansing on Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
Vawter hit a speed bump in the fourth inning, giving up two walks after the leadoff batter reached on an error. He induced a strikeout and groundout, but then gave up a two-run single before getting off the hook, still clinging to a 4-3 lead.
“I struggled a little bit there, but it’s about just sticking to what I know, getting back into the groove of things,” Vawter said. “Getting off path has really been my struggle this year, and I’m trying to get better at staying consistent.
“Today I felt like the fastball was pretty good, so I kind of dominated with that, and then when I had to, I put a little wrinkle in there.”
The Vikings retaliated with eight runs in the bottom half of the fourth, stretching the lead to 12-3. It was more than Vawter needed.
“Our guys always know when Bryson is out there, he’s always going to give us a chance,” said Seaman coach Trent Oliva. “We’ve just got to take care of the baseball defensively and mark a couple of runs here and there.”
When he wasn’t working through the Lansing lineup, Vawter drilled two doubles. He was backed by homers from sophomores Max Huston and David Dobbs.
“Max put us on top there early and then we were able to piece some things together,” Oliva said. “The bottom of our lineup set the table for our top half, and the top half came through and got some timely hits.”
Seaman failed to get timely hits in the second game of the night, losing 2-1 in nine innings. Seaman pitchers Scout Jellison and Huston combined to hold the Lions to just one run in regulation. But the game went to extra innings when Seaman failed to drive in baserunners in the sixth and seventh innings.
After a scoreless eighth, Huston permitted a double to Lansing’s Tonoi Mendez. Mendez scored on a single by Dalton Jorgensen. Mendez then worked around two walks to retire Seaman in the bottom of the ninth.
“The pitchers threw great. (Lansing) ended up making one more play than we did and that’s the difference in the game,” Oliva said. “They were able to do those things that it took to win. We gave ourselves some opportunities but weren’t able to cash them in.”
With the split, the Vikings fell to 10-2 on the season.
“Our goal is always, if we’re playing two, we want to win two,” Oliva said. “We weren’t able to do that tonight, but I tell these guys they all weigh the same, and you’ve just got to be ready for the next one.”
GAME ONE
SEAMAN 13, LANSING 3
Lansing 000 30 — 3 1 2
Seaman 103 81 — 13 11 1
Umbarger, Wolters (4) and Jorgensen. Vawter and Dobbs. W — Vawter. L — Umbarger. 2B — Seaman: Vawter 2, Huston, Griffin. Home Run — Seaman: Huston, Dobbs.
GAME TWO
LANSING 2, SEAMAN 1
Lansing (6-4) 000 010 001 — 2 8 1
Seaman (10-2) 100 000 000 — 1 3 1
Howell, Mendez (7) and Oakley. Jellison, Huston (5) and Dobbs. W — Mendez. L — Huston. 2B — Lansing: Jorgensen, Hutton, Mendez.
