Tabor takes two from No. 2 Eagles

The ninth-ranked Tabor College baseball team won a crucial three-game series versus second-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan Thursday and Friday to move to 5-1 in KCAC play.

Oklahoma Wesleyan— The Bluejays started the series with a loss Thursday but swept Friday’s doubleheader.

Tabor lost Game 1 Thursday, 10-6.

After each team scored once in the opening inning, Tabor built a 4-2 lead through two innings with a three-run, four-hit bottom of the second. Kyle James keyed the frame with a two-run home run. Tabor also benefitted from an Eagle error.

The Eagles scored once in the fourth inning, and outscored Tabor three runs to two in the sixth to tie the game at 6. In that half-inning, Haydon Mahe-Liessmann led off with a double, then James hit an RBI single and Joel Frias, an RBI double. Those were the final runs Tabor scratched across. The Eagles, however, roughed up Bluejay reliever Edwin Suarez in the top of the seventh, knocking out four hits, none bigger than a three-run home run.

Oklahoma Wesleyan added a run off two hits in the top of the eighth to conclude scoring for the game.

Mahe-Liessmann was 3-for-4 at-bat. James had three RBIs.

Suarez (1-1) absorbed the pitching loss. In 21⁄3 innings, he gave up six hits and four earned runs. He walked one batter and struck out three.

However, Tabor came back to win both games Friday to take the series.

The Bluejays won Game 1, 4-1.

Skyler Cohn (4-0) pitched 61⁄3 shutout innings in relief of starter Jahaziel Cantu to earn the pitching win. He walked no one and struck out four batters.

Each team scored one run in the second inning, Tabor’s on Colton Flax’s ground out.

Cohn entered in the top of the third with the bases loaded and secured the final out. He gave up just two hits in the outing.

Tabor, meanwhile, broke the tie in the fourth inning when Jordan Harris hit an RBI single, and scored its final two runs off three hits in the sixth inning. Flax drove in both runs with a two-RBI single.

Harris was 3-for-4 at-bat. Flax had three RBIs.

In Game 2, Jagger Harjo (4-0) threw a two-hit, seven-inning shutout to earn the pitching win. He walked no one and struck out five batters in Tabor’s 10-0 win.

The Bluejays plated run support for him early, scoring one run in the first inning via Braxon Byfield’s RBI single, and another in the second, when Joel Frias hit a double and scored on Kyle James’ sacrifice fly.

Tabor scored six runs off three hits in the bottom of the third. James keyed the frame by hitting a three-run home run. The Bluejays added one run in the fifth inning and another in the sixth, both via passed ball.

John Izquierdo was 2-for-2 at-bat, Frias was 2-for-3, and Jacob Jones was 2-for-4. James had four RBIs.

Central Christian—Tabor swept the Tigers Tuesday. The Bluejays won Game 1, 17-8.

Both teams plated runs early, with Tabor building a 9-7 lead through two innings of play. By the third inning, each team was into its bullpen.

Tabor roughed up Tiger starter Bailey Jay for 10 hits and nine runs (seven earned) in the first two innings, including a leadoff home run by Abdiel Alicia, and later, two-run home runs by both Colton Flax and Jaxson Hooge.

The Tigers scored their first three runs via the long ball as well, giving Tabor a 5-3 lead after the first inning. Flax drove in two of Tabor’s four second-inning runs with a single.

After that, Tabor scored one run in the third when Braxon Byfield hit a home run, two runs in the fifth thanks to Flax’s two-run single, four runs in the sixth, keyed by Byfield’s two-run home run, and one final run in the seventh off AJ Shaw’s solo shot.

The Tigers scored their final run in the fifth inning.

Six of Tabor’s 20 hits were home runs.

Byfield was 4-for-5 at-bat and had three RBIs. Flax was 3-for-5 and had six RBIs.

Skyler Cohn (3-0) earned the pitching win. In three scoreless innings of relief, he gave up one hit, walked no one and struck out three batters.

Tabor won Game 2, 11-7.

Each team scored two runs in the first inning. For the Bluejays, Abdiel Alicea worked a walk, then Jacob Jones hit a two-run home run.

Tabor broke the tie by scoring five runs off six hits and an error in the fourth inning, adding two runs in the fifth when Blake Standiford hit a two-run home run, and scoring once in each of the final two innings.

The Tigers plated their final five runs in the sixth inning.

Jones, Braxon Byfield and AJ Shaw were each 2-for-3 at-bat. Standiford had three RBIs.

Michael Box (1-0) earned the pitching win. In four innings, he gave up six hits and two earned runs. He walked two batters and struck out two.

Coming—Tabor (5-1, 19-5) was scheduled to take a break from conference play with a nine-inning game at Avila Tuesday. The Bluejays will resume KCAC competition with a three-game series at Friends Friday and Saturday. Friday’s game is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday’s doubleheader is set to begin at 1 p.m.

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