By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The 8th-ranked Abilene Cowboys continued their impressive start to the 2024 baseball season, stopping the white-hot Southeast of Saline Trojans dead in their tracks in a Friday doubleheader sweep.
With a run-rule-shortened win of 11-1 and a comeback victory of 7-6 the Cowboys move to 5-1 while Southeast snaps their six-game win streak at 6-4.
Abilene wasted no time jumping out to a big lead in game one, batting around the order in each of the first two innings to take a 10-0 advantage into the third.
From there, Southeast’s Treytan Olson was able to stem the tide, but the Trojan bats were silenced in a dominant showing from future Cloud Community College pitcher Stocton Timbrook.
The Cowboy senior struck out the first six batters of the game and completed 4.2 innings of work without surrendering a single hit, allowing just one run to come home on a walk in the final inning of an 11-1 Abilene victory.
Game two looked like it would be the Trojan’s revenge, as SES struck for one run in each of the first three innings and three more in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead into the sixth.
Down to their final six outs, Abilene rattled off six unanswered runs in the sixth to turn the table, capped off by a 2 RBI single for Drew Hansen to take their first and only lead of the game.
From there, Zach Miller was able to slam the door shut, as the senior struck out the side after allowing a leadoff single, concluding his five innings of work with nine Ks.
Both teams will be back in action next Tuesday as the Cowboys play host to Marysville and the Trojans welcome in their rival in Sacred Heart.