By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Southeast of Saline baseball team opened its postseason with a bang on Wednesday, eliminating Hillsboro 15-0 in a regional quarterfinal that took just four innings to complete.
Trojan pitching was immaculate for all four frames, with Tiernan Ptacek and Noah Rupert splitting a shutout down the middle, combining to allow just six baserunners while striking out nine.
At the dish, the Trojans raked, plating four runs in the first, five in the second, and six in the fourth to send the crowd home early.
All nine spots in the order produced at least one hit, with eight different players scoring at least one run.
Tysen Keller led the charge with a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate, driving in two runs while scoring three more himself.
Kayson Bertrand, Grady Gebhardt, Christian Peterson, and Jackson Tanner all joined Keller with multi-hit performances, with Keller, Bertrand, Peterson, and Tanner combining for 12 RBI on the day.
This win marks the 20th of the season for SES, pushing the Trojans to 20-3 on the season, Hillsboro meanwhile, concludes its campaign at 7-17.
Southeast will take the rest of the week to rest up before resuming their playoff run in the regional semifinals at Burlington next Tuesday.
The Trojans will first battle Chaparral, with the winner of that game taking on either Burlington or Haven for a ticket to the 3A state tournament.
This quarterfinal victory can be watched back any time on-demand below.