The Seward ZKE Storage seniors struggled to find offense in their first two games of the 2023 season. Seward lost to Modern Real Estate Post 8 in Nebraska City 15-0 May 23 and dropped game two to Springfield 10-0 May 24. The team was back in action May 27 against Pinnacle Bank Post 42 in the Fairbury Wood Bat Tournament and won 15-0.
In the two losses, Seward managed just three hits, all singles against Springfield.
At Fairbury, the Seward seniors went 4-1 over the three days.
The Seward offense pounded 10 hits in the win over Post 42. Brycen Burt, Kolton Loos and Ryley Hain had two hits each. Both of Burt’s were doubles, and Derek Kouma and Carter Ernesti doubled, as well. Ernesti finished with three RBIs.
Loos and Hain each pitched in the game, with Loos striking out five in four innings.
Seward then suffered a 6-1 loss to Fairbury May 27. Hain and Olson each hit a double. Conner Matzke and Hain combined for nine strikeouts on the mound.
Seward came back to defeat Sutton 6-4 May 28. Matzke and Braiden Herring each hit doubles, and four different hitters drove in runs.
Colling Nagel pitched all seven innings and struck out five.
Seward then beat Fairbury twice, wininng 11-4 and 12-3.
In game one, the Seward offense finished wtih 11 hits, led by a 3-4 game from Hain, who hit one of the team’s three doubles. Carl Taylor and Herring had the other two.
Brycen Burt, Loos, Taylor and Matzke drove in two runs each.
Carter Ernesti got the start and struck out seven over six innings.
The Seward offense continued to click in game two, recording eight hits. Burt was 2-5 with a double, and Loos also hit a double. Loos and Kyle Perry had two RBIs each.
Burt led a quartet of pitchers in the game, striking out five in 2.1 innings.
The Seward ZKE Storage juniors shut out Nebraska City in the opener 10-0 and defeated Springfield 10-3.
Against Nebraska City, Cale Gardiner, Karson Dyer and Kyle Riley had two hts each, with Gardiner and Brycen Burt each hitting a double.
Riley drove in three runs, and Gardiner and Dyer had two RBIs each.
Burt pitched all five innings and struck out seven.
Against Springfield, Bostyn Happ, Gardiner, Dyer and Quinn Berner had two hits each. Berner drove in two runs.
Seward was at home May 30 against Hickman, which handed Seward a 9-4 loss. The juniors (2-0) will play in a tournament at York June 2-4, with their first opponent Utica-Beaver Crossing-Friend Friday, June 2, at 8 p.m.
The seniors (4-3) hosted Hickman May 30 and lost 16-4 and then travel to Omaha Roncalli for a double header Saturday, June 3, starting at 11 a.m.
