The Tabor College baseball team took three of four from Bethany over a two-day series Friday and Saturday to improve to 15-5 in the KCAC, 38-8 overall.
Coach Mark Standiford said any conference opponent provides a challenge, and Bethany was no exception.
?Anytime you play in conference, they?re always tough,? he said. ?I don?t care who you play. Bethany is a very good team. They throw out very good arms and they swing the bat well.?
The series began with a doubleheader split at Bethany Friday.
Tabor won Game 1, 2-1. None of the runs scored were earned.
Bluejay starter Dustin Hurlbutt battled Bethany?s Clayton Cozzitorto through five scoreless innings. Tabor left seven on base during that time, while Bethany stranded two base runners.
Tabor scored its first run in the sixth inning. Jean Acevedo reached base on a misplayed grounder, and Colton Flax later hit a single to score pinch-runner Dakota Vaughn.
The Bluejays scored again in the top of the seventh off of two hits and a pair of errors, but Bethany used two hits and an error to plate a run in the bottom half of the inning.
Flax was 2-for-3 and had one RBI.
Hurlbutt went the distance to earn the pitching win. He scattered four hits and one unearned run over seven innings. He walked two batters and struck out five.
Tabor lost Game 2, 3-1.
The Bluejays scored their only run in the top of the first inning. Michael Baca led-off with a single, and Alex Couch brought him home with a one-out single.
Bethany answered with a pair of runs off of four hits and an error in the bottom half of the inning.
Neither team scored again until the sixth inning when the Swedes plated their final run.
Bethany tallied 10 hits to Tabor?s five and relied on the pitching of Dan Eck, who was a Co-Pitcher of the Year last year.
Russell Longworth absorbed the pitching loss. Over six innings, he gave up 10 hits and three runs (two earned). He walked one batter and struck out five.
?Bethany?s field is always difficult to score, just because of the way it sets,? Standiford said. ?Every year I?ve been here, it?s very difficult. Their pitchers threw very well, too. You?ve got to give them credit.?
Tabor continued the series at home Saturday. The Bluejays won Game 1, 9-4.
Jean Acevedo, who is undefeated at 7-0, pitched a complete game to earn the win, scattering seven hits and four runs (two earned) over seven innings. He walked one batter and struck out seven. He began by retiring the side in order in the first inning.
Offensively, Michael Baca set the tone for the Bluejays by hitting a leadoff home run. Following back-to-back walks, Matthew Molbury continued the trend with a three-run homer. When the dust settled at the end of the first inning, Tabor led, 4-0.
Bethany got in on the action with a leadoff home run to open the second inning. Tabor scored its fifth run in the bottom half of the inning when Jerrik Sigg hit a single to score Neufeld who had hit a one-out triple.
After a scoreless third inning, Bethany drew within 5-3 off two hits and an error in the fourth.
The Bluejays scored again in the fifth inning. Couch led off with a single, Molbury reached on a walk, and Colton Flax singled to load the bases. Tabor scored its only run of the inning on a bases-loaded walk.
After Bethany scored its final run in the top of the sixth, Tabor solidified the win with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Alex Couch hit an RBI single, followed by a double by Molbury. Flax then drove in the final two runs with a single.
Molbury was 2-for-2 and had three RBIs. Couch was 2-for-3 and had one RBI.
Tabor won the series with a 15-5 victory in Game 2.
In the bottom of the first inning, Sigg hit a one-out triple, and Couch brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Molbury then hit his second home run of the day, giving Tabor a 2-0 lead.
Tabor scored three runs in the second inning, which was highlighted by Baca?s second home run of the day, this time a two-run shot over the centerfield fence.
The Bluejays added three more in the third. Flax and DeLeon hit RBI doubles, and Tabor led, 8-0 through three.
Baca led off the fourth inning with his third home run of the day to increase Tabor?s margin to 9-0.
Bethany used four hits to get on the board with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but Tabor countered in the bottom half of the inning, thanks to a two-run home run by McClure.
Tabor added four runs on two hits and an error in the sixth inning before Bethany plated its final three runs in the top of the seventh.
Baca was 3-for-5 at-bat, including two home runs and a double, and had three RBIs. McClure was 2-for-4 and had three RBIs. Flax was 2-for-4 and had one RBI. Jerrik Sigg was 2-for-2.
Gregory Turner (2-2) earned the pitching win. Over five innings, he gave up six hits and two runs (both earned). He walked no one and struck out five batters.
With every game important in building the Bluejays? r?sum? as well as in their hunt for a KCAC title, Saturday?s sweep to get the series win was key.
?It was big for us to get these two today, there?s no doubt,? Standiford said. ?We needed a game like this though, this last one?kind of a feel-good game.?
MidAmerica Nazarene?Tabor used a big first inning to defeat the Pioneers in one nine-inning game at Wichita State?s Eck Stadium Tuesday.
Tabor scored nine runs off of six hits and a pair of errors in the first inning to take control from the start.
Gadiel Baez, Jerrik Sigg and Alex Couch all hit singles in their first batting opportunity. Jean Acevedo hit a three-RBI double, and Colton Flax hit a single. The inning culminated in a three-run home run by Baez.
MidAmerica countered with four runs in the second inning and scored two more in the fourth before Tabor scored one in the bottom half of that inning. Couch hit an RBI double to score Sigg, who had hit a triple to get on base.
Tabor added one run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to increase its margin to 13-6 through six innings.
MidAmerica scored its final run in the ninth thanks to a lead-off triple.
Baez and Couch were both 3-for-5 at-bat. Baez had three RBIs; Couch had one RBI. Acevedo was 2-for-3 and had three RBIs, while Flax was 2-for-4 and had one RBI.
Dylan Algra (4-1) was the winning pitcher. In 52?3 innings pitching in relief of starter Thomas Longworth, Algra gave up four hits and one run (earned). He walked one batter and struck out six.
Coming?Tabor will play a doubleheader at McPherson (2-18, 8-33) Saturday before returning home to complete the four-game series Sunday. The doubleheaders are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. both days.
