By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Southeast of Saline baseball team continued to cruise on Thursday, sweeping Smoky Valley in a pair of one-run squeakers in Gypsum.
With these wins, the Trojans are now on a five-game winning streak, and sit in third place in their regional standings.
Game 1: SE of Saline 7, Smoky Valley 6
Going into the seventh inning, Southeast looked primed to win this game comfortably, but a late Viking surge tied the game, prompting the need for more walk-off heroics.
Smoky Valley scored their lone early run in the top of the third, which the Trojans quickly erased, plating three of their own in the bottom of the third, two more in the fifth, and another in the sixth to hold a 6-1 lead with three outs to go.
The Vikings recorded their first two outs, but four uncharacteristic errors and a pair of big hits allowed Smoky Valley to scratch five runs across and tie the game at six apiece.
That surge was short-lived, as Tiernan Ptacek led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, advanced to second on a walk, and came in to score the game-winning run on a Casson Klover RBI single.
Ptacek, Tysen Keller, Kayson Bertrand, and Jackson Calvin all recorded multi-hit games, with Ptacek, Bertrand, and Calvin coming in to score six of Southeast’s seven runs.
Burton Brooks, who entered in relief to get the Trojans out of the seventh-inning jam, collected the win following a strong start from Ptacek, who allowed just one earned run in 6.2 innings.
Game 2: SE of Saline 2, Smoky Valley 1
The nightcap of this two-game set saw far less scoring in a pitchers’ duel between Kayson Bertrand and Kaleb Burgardt.
Both pitchers went the distance, with Bertrand allowing just one unearned run on a lone hit, walking one and striking out eight, while Burgart let two runs in on five hits, walked one and struck out two.
Fortunately for Bertrand, who collected the win, Southeast once again found timely hitting, making the most of their limited baserunners.
In the bottom of the first, Bertrand gave himself a run of support, bringing in Tiernan Ptacek on an RBI groundout.
Smoky Valley did tie the game on yet another Trojan error in the third, but the final run would belong to SES in the bottom of the sixth.
With two outs and the bases empty, Noah Rupert laced a double into left field and was replaced by the freshman speedster Christian Peterson.
Peterson brought an immediate return on his pinch-running investment, advancing to third on a passed ball and coming in to score the go-ahead run on a Casson Klover single.
With a one-run lead Bertrand slammed the door shut, striking out the first two batters in a 1-2-3 inning to secure the sweep and a 2-1 victory.
With this win, SES improves to 15-3 on the year while Smoky Valley slides to 9-11.
The Trojans are back in action next Tuesday and Thursday to wrap up their regular season against Ellsworth and Lyons.