By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Southeast of Saline baseball team closed out its regular season in style, taking both games of Thursday’s doubleheader at Lyons to finish the regular season 19-3 and secure an NCAA league title.
Game 1: SE of Saline 5, Lyons 2
Excellence on the mound saw the Trojans through the opener of this two-game set, with Tiernan Ptacek completing seven innings of three-hit ball, surrendering just one earned run and one walk while striking out six.
At the dish, Southeast plated two runs in the fourth, and three more in the seventh to stave off a Lyons comeback effort, with Grady Gebhardt, Noah Rupert and Christian Peterson combining to drive in four of the five Trojan runs.
Lyons did manage to get two runs back in the home half of the inning, but Ptacek worked a strikeout and a groundout to wrap up the win.
This was the victory that secured sole possession of the NCAA crown for the Trojans, who sat out of reach of both Beloit and Sacred Heart.
Game 2: SE of Saline 5, Lyons 2
Game two went down in a similar fashion with SES taking and holding an early lead, Lyons getting their first runs in the seventh, and excellent pitching seeing the Trojans through the night.
This time, it was Kayson Bertrand’s turn to dominate on the hill, allowing two runs, both unearned, on nine hits, walking just one and striking out six.
Six spots in the Trojan lineup produced at least one hit, with Noah Rupert enjoying the lone multi-hit game of the day.
Lyons managed two runs in the bottom of the seventh but failed to truly threaten a 5-0 lead, falling 5-2 as Southeast secured the sweep.
With these wins, SES improves to 19-3, locks up the league, and will enter the postseason on a nine-game winning streak.
As of Friday morning, the Trojans are in the 3-seed in this year’s Class 3A regional 3, just behind Council Grove (23-1) and Burlington (20-2).
Seedings for this year’s regional tournament will be announced soon.