By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
After a brief stumble out of the gates, the Southeast of Saline baseball team has caught fire, winning their last six games including a doubleheader sweep of Republic County on Tuesday.
With wins of 19-1 and 19-0 the Trojans move to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in league play while the Buffaloes drop to 0-6 and 0-2.
During this six-game stretch, Southeast has won all of its games by mercy rule, and has posted an obscene run differential of +98.
Game one was a quick one for the Trojans, who racked up five runs in the first, six in the second, and eight in the third to take a run-rule-shortened 19-1 victory.
Southeast rattled off eight hits and capitalized on 11 Buffalo blunders, with Sam Knopf leading the charge on a two-hit, three-run, 4 RBI day.
On the bump the Trojans looked dominant with Killian Vaughan and Cole Gilpin combining to toss three innings of three-hit ball, surrendering just one unearned run and striking out six.
Game two saw more of the same as Southeast struck for three in the first, seven in the second, three in the third and six in the fourth to win another shortened contest 19-0.
This time around it was the combined effort of Noah Rupert, Treytan Olson, and Lyrick Lilley who shut down Republic County from the mound, allowing just two hits and striking out five in a shutout win.
In game two six different members of the lineup recorded a hit, and a trio of Trojans in Treytan Olson, Evan Watkins, and Sam Knopf all drove in four runs.
SES will be tested on the road this Friday when they travel to Abilene for a two-game set with the 8th-ranked Cowboys.