By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Abilene and Salina South baseball teams split their doubleheader on the diamond on Thursday, with the Cowboys claiming a 5-4 opening day victory, and the Cougars taking their first win of the season in a 5-1 nightcap.
Game One: Abilene 5, Salina South 4
The opener of this two-game set was a back-and-forth affair, as with two ties and four lead changes from start to finish.
Levi Evans smacked a first-inning triple off Aiden Spielman, and was driven in on a Jake Bartley fielder's choice for the first run of the day.
The Cougars responded quickly, with Bronx Sitton driving in Jaxon Anthony in the second, and Anthony bringing in Yaden Montanez on a sac-fly in the third.
Cold bats resulted in a quiet fourth and fifth, but in the sixth inning, Abilene got back to work, plating a pair of runs on four hits to take a 3-2 lead.
Not to be outdone, Anthony once again singled and scored to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, this time dashing home on a passed ball, but the Cowboys added two more runs on three additional hits to carry a 5-3 edge into the bottom of the seventh.
South would find one final run on a throwing error, but stranded the tying run on second base, falling in a narrow 5-4 nailbiter.
Levi Evans collected the win after entering in relief for Jake Bartley, who tossed 5.2 innings, striking out ten and allowing just three runs on five hits.
Game Two: Salina South 5, Abilene 1
The nightcap felt more like a pitcher's duel, with Landon Huffman tossing a complete-game gem for the Cougars, helping South to their first win of the season.
Huffman blazed through the Abilene order, setting down nine in a row to open his outing, all while the Cougars racked up five runs in three frames.
Jaxon Anthony picked up right where he left off at the plate, driving in Kolton Herbal on an RBI single before coming in to score himself in the first, and starting the party with a double and another run scored in the third.
Abilene would get on the board courtesy of an Ethan Evans RBI double in the fourth, but that was all Huffman would allow, as the four-run cushion proved more than enough for the Cougars.
Huffman went the distance, allowing just one run on two hits, striking out eight while walking just two.
With this doubleheader result, the Cowboys open the campaign at 1-1 while South improves to 1-3.
You can watch both of these games on-demand any time below.