Baseball sweeps Seward in Home Opener

Article by Michael Bauer: Odessa American

The Odessa College baseball team ended its losing start by sweeping Seward County Community College in a doubleheader Friday at Wrangler Ballpark.

Playing in their home opener, the Wranglers (2-6) won by scores of 6-2 and 15-7 to get on the winning side of the column for the first time this season.

Seward County Community College fell to 4-6.

"It's nice to end the streak," Odessa College head coach Kurtis Lay said. "We just needed to snap it and today we did that."

The Wranglers had suffered six straight losses-all on the road-to begin the season.

In Game 1, both teams got on the board quickly as the Saints and Wranglers each scored a single run in the first inning.

A single by Angel LaSalle scored Manny Salas to put the Wranglers ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the third inning.

LaSalle was tagged out while trying to steal second and the inning ended with the hosts ahead by one.

The Saints found a way to tie things up again when Connor Raney scored on a single by Trenton Rowan in the top of the fourth.

Odessa College retook the lead when Antonelli Savattere's single scored Zach Cline to make it 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth.

Manny Salas added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to double the Wranglers' lead.

Steve Villarreal would make it to third in the same frame with one out with Cort Pryor getting a walk.

However, a double play by the Saints' outfield resulted in Villarreal getting tagged before he could make it back to third and the Wranglers' lead stayed at two runs heading into the sixth.

A double play by the Wranglers saw Diego Alfonso-Rivera and White both cross home plate, thanks to an error from the Saints and Odessa College had a 6-2 advantage in the bottom of the sixth.

The Wranglers held on for the victory, taking a 6-2 win and the team's first win of the season.

"It was a tough day," Lay said. "The wind was blowing in. Balls weren't carrying to parts of the baseball field so we actually did a good job of executing some small ball and forcing them to make plays. Fortunately, it came out in our favor."

The Wranglers finished with 13 hits and no errors in Game 1 while the Saints had 10 hits.

Leroy Tavarez took the win on the mound for the Wranglers while Brian Luna Alvarez was credited with the loss for the Saints.

In Game 2, the Saints got going quick with a run by Cameron Cartwright in the top of the first inning.

Mason Hagel-Pitt's single then scored Trenton Rowan to make it 2-0.

A double on the following at-bat made it 4-0 as the visitors remained in control.

"We have to start off better in games," Lay said. "We come out in the first inning and get behind too often. Guys did a good job of not letting it bother them and battled back."

The Wranglers got on the board after Alfonso-Rivera slid into home plate, just barely avoiding the out, in the bottom of the second inning.

Runs by LaSalle and Tucker Allen followed and suddenly, Odessa College's deficit was only one.

Salas' home run over the left field fence tied the game up at 4-4 in the bottom of the third inning.

Soon after, Pryor's double deep into left field put another Wrangler on scoring with Villarreal on third.

Villarreal and Pryor both scored on a sacrifice to put the Wranglers ahead 6-4.

Seward County tied the game up with a two-run homer by Nathan Hopkins, scoring Brock Sundlie in the top of the fourth.

However, the Wranglers scored three unanswered runs with one in the fifth and two more in the sixth to take a 9-6 lead.

Jackson Schofield's double scored Savattere and White to make it 11-6 soon after in the sixth.

A wild pitch allowed Pryor to score soon after and the lead was six.

Alfonso-Rivera got out at first, leaving Schofield stranded on third to end the sixth inning.

An error allowed Rowan to score and pull the Saints back to a five-run deficit in the top of the seventh.

The Wranglers added to their lead with a run by LaSalle after Addison Brown's single in the bottom of the seventh.

Salas' single scored Tucker Allen and the Wranglers' had a 14-7 advantage.

The Wranglers added a run to clinch the game on run rules.

Odessa College finished with 16 hits and two errors in Game 2 while the Saints had eight hits and four errors.

Juan Villarreal took the win for the Wranglers while Trent Gerber took the loss for the Saints.

"We've faced some good arms," Lay said. We've faced some good teams. We'll be fine, offensively. We just need to find a way to score against the good arms too."