The 10th-ranked Tabor College baseball team won the regular-season KCAC title for the fourth consecutive year by winning a four-game series with both McPherson and Saint Mary.
Saint Mary?Tabor took three of four from the Spires Saturday and Sunday.
Tabor swept Saturday?s home doubleheader, winning Game 1, 15-8, and making a strong statement from the beginning.
Dustin Hurlbutt retired the side in order in the first inning, then the Bluejay offense went to work.
Eight of Tabor?s 17 hits came in the first inning. Michael Baca launched a leadoff home run off Saint Mary starter Ricardo Diaz. Gadiel Baez hit a single, then Jerrik Sigg tagged Diaz for a two-run blast to put Tabor in front, 3-0. Alex Couch continued the streak with a single, and after Colton Flax hit a one-out single, the next three Bluejays reached on a walk.
With Tabor back at the top of the order, Baca roughed up reliever Rick Johnson for a two-RBI single. Baez launched a one-out RBI double to deep right-center. Couch recorded Tabor?s eighth hit of the inning?a two-out RBI single?before the Spires got out of the inning.
Saint Mary strung three hits together to start the second inning?including a double?and plated its first run. After a one-out walk to load the bases, Reese Stevenson hit a grand slam, narrowing the gap to 10-5.
The score remained that way until the bottom of the fourth. Flax hit a two-out single, then Manny DeLeon cleared the bases with a two-run home run.
A Spire home run to lead off the fifth inning made it 12-6, but Tabor tallied three runs in the bottom half of the inning when Flax hit a three-run blast over the right field fence.
Saint Mary added a pair of runs off two hits and an error in the top of the seventh, but Tabor cruised to victory.
Flax was 3-for-3 at-bat and had three RBIs. Couch was 3-for-4 and had one RBI; Baca was 3-for-5 and had three RBIs; Baez was 3-for-5 and had one RBI.
Hurlbutt (9-1) went the distance to earn the win. He gave up 10 hits and eight runs (seven earned) and walked four batters and struck out seven.
Tabor won Game 2, 4-1.
Once again, Tabor took an early lead, this time plating three runs off two hits in the first inning, which included an RBI double by Couch and a two-run home run by DeLeon.
Tabor starter Russell Longworth pitched three shutout innings without giving up a hit. The Spires led off the fourth inning with a single and scored one run, making it 3-1, which held through five innings.
Tabor scored its final run in the sixth when Couch hit a two-out double, stole a base and scored on a wild throw.
Both teams managed four hits in the game. Couch was 2-for-3 at-bat and had one RBI. DeLeon and Molbury were each 1-for-2. DeLeon was named KCAC Player of the Week.
Longworth (8-3) earned the pitching win and was named KCAC Pitcher of the Week. He scattered four hits and one run (unearned) over seven innings of work, while walking no one and striking out four.
The Bluejays split Sunday?s doubleheader in Leavenworth. Tabor lost Game 1, 6-5, despite leading a majority of the game.
The Bluejays scored three runs off three hits in the opening inning, including singles by Michael Baca, Alex Couch and Matthew Molbury. But Saint Mary tied the game with three runs off two hits and two errors in the third inning.
Tabor regained the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Manny DeLeon led off with a bunt and reached on a base hit. Castillo hit a single, and when Brent McClure reached base on the fielder?s choice, DeLeon scored.
The Bluejays took a 5-3 lead by adding another run in the fifth. Jerrik Sigg led off with a single and Couch drove him home with a double.
After a scoreless sixth inning, Tabor took a two-run lead into the final inning. The Spires retired the Bluejays in order in the top of the seventh, then manufactured four hits to score three runs and win the game in walkoff fashion.
Jean Acevedo (8-1) took his first pitching loss of the season.
Tabor won Game 2, 3-2. The Bluejays scored a run in the first inning when Baez reached base on a walk and scored on Sigg?s sacrifice fly. Tabor plated a second run in the third inning. Baca hit a two-out double, and Baez drove in a run with a single.
Gregory Turner (4-2) earned the pitching win. Over five innings, he scattered four hits and two runs (both earned).
McPherson?Tabor swept a four-game series with the Bulldogs Monday and Tuesday in a series postponed from the weekend before because of rain.
The series began with a doubleheader at McPherson Monday. Tabor won Game 1, 9-3.
The Bluejays built a 7-0 lead through two innings, plating three runs on two hits in the first inning and adding four runs off two hits in the second, which included a bases-loaded walk and a three-run double by Colton Flax.
McPherson drove in a run in the third.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Tabor scored its final two runs in the fifth inning on a two-RBI single by Manny DeLeon.
The Bulldogs scored two in the sixth, but Tabor claimed the win.
DeLeon was 2-for-3 at-bat and had two RBIs. Flax had five RBIs on 2-for-4 hitting.
Dustin Hurlbutt (8-1) earned the pitching win. Over five innings, he scattered five hits and one unearned run. He walked no one and struck out nine batters.
Tabor won Game 2, 7-1.
The Bluejays scored one run in each of the first three innings, taking a 3-0 lead after DeLeon hit a home run in the top of the third.
The score remained that way until McPherson used one hit to score a run in the bottom of the fifth.
Tabor then scored four runs off three hits in the top of the sixth, which was highlighted by a three-run home run by Matthew Molbury.
DeLeon was 2-for-2 at-bat and had two RBIs. Molbury led the team with three RBIs.
Russell Longworth (7-3) earned the pitching win. Over six innings, he gave up four hits and one run (earned). He walked two batters and struck out 11.
The series continued at home Tuesday. Tabor won Game 1, 16-5. Of the Bluejays? 14 hits, seven were home runs.
McPherson used three hits and an error to score two runs in the first inning, but Tabor took control in the bottom of the inning.
Michael Baca led off with a solo home run, and by the end of the frame, Jerrik Sigg had singled, Matthew Molbury had hit a two-run home run and Manny DeLeon had hit a solo shot, giving Tabor a 4-2 lead.
Tabor added to its lead by scoring on Sigg?s RBI single in the second, and the Bluejays added two more in the third, thanks to an RBI single by DeLeon and a sacrifice fly by McClure.
Sigg hit a solo home run in the fourth, increasing Tabor?s lead to 8-2.
McPherson added a run in the fifth, but Tabor blew the game open with six runs in the bottom half of the inning.
DeLeon led off with a home run?his second of the game. Braden Brown hit a two-out single and scored on a misplayed grounder. With Michael Baca on base as a result of the error, Sigg coaxed a walk from Bulldog reliever Gage Calvin, and Alex Couch cleared the bases with a three-run blast over the right field fence. But the Bluejays weren?t done. Tanner Bell followed with a solo home run, increasing Tabor?s lead to 14-3.
The Bulldogs used three hits to score a pair of runs in the sixth, and Tabor added its final two runs in the bottom half of the inning, thanks to two Bulldog errors.
DeLeon was 3-for-3 at-bat, including two home runs, and had three RBIs. Sigg was also 3-for-3, including a home run, and had two RBIs. Baca and Couch each had three RBIs.
Jean Acevedo (8-0) earned the pitching win. He scattered six hits and three runs (two earned) over five innings of work. He walked one batter and struck out nine.
Tabor followed with an 11-0 shutout in Game 2, allowing just three McPherson hits.
After two scoreless innings, Tabor nailed eight runs off seven hits in the third inning. Neufeld led off with a single. Baca followed with a single, and Sigg cleared the bases with a three-run home run. Couch followed with a home run, and Flax hit a one-out home run.
After DeLeon reached on a walk, Bell hit a double. Pete Lelich then cleared the bases with a three-run home run, prompting a McPherson pitching change to get out of the inning.
Tabor added its final three runs in the bottom of the fifth, thanks to a three-run home run by Neufeld.
Couch was 3-for-4, including a home run, and had one RBI. Neufeld was 2-for-3, including a home run, and had three RBIs. Sigg and Lelich each had three RBIs.
Gregory Turner (3-2) picked up the pitching win. He scattered three hits over five innings of work. He walked one batter and struck out six.
Coming?As regular-season KCAC champions, Tabor has received the No. 1 seed in the KCAC tournament, which will be held at the Great Bend Sports Complex in Great Bend this week.
Tabor (22-6, 46-9) will play the winner of No. 4 Saint Mary (15-13, 26-23) and No. 5 Bethany (13-15, 22-27) Thursday at 3 p.m. in a double-elimination bracket. With a win, Tabor will face the winner of No. 2 Sterling (21-7, 44-11)?and No. 3 Kansas Wesleyan (16-12, 28-24) Friday at 11 a.m.
The championship is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
