Lujan and Turner Combine for Shutout to Force Split With Vernon

LIBERAL, Kan. – Seward baseball opened its four-game home series with Vernon College at Brent Gould Field Saturday afternoon, with the Chaparrals winning game one 12-6 before Seward answered with a 9-0 decision in game two.

After the Saints (3-9) pitching staff struggled in game one, game two saw two Seward pitchers Michael Lujan and Cooper Turner combine for a nine-inning shutout. It marked the first nine-inning shutout win for Seward since April 17, 2021, in a 6-0 win at Cowley.

The two teams close the series out with a pair of games on Sunday afternoon, first pitch for game one at 1 p.m.

Game 1: Vernon 12, Seward 6 (7 inn.)

Four multi-run innings and four home runs from visiting Vernon were too much for the Saints to overcome in the game one loss.

Vernon built a 5-1 lead at the top of the second before a three-run home run off the bat of Isai Santaella pulled the Saints within 5-4 in the bottom of the second. Vernon used two more runs in the top of the fourth to go ahead 7-4 but again the Saints offense brought them back to down a run after Juan Alvarez and Hayden Ramage each had RBIs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 7-6 Vernon. Two home runs in the fifth sealed the deal for the Chaparrals, making it 11-6, and a solo shot in the sixth made it 12-6.

Santaella finished 2-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Alvarez was 3-4 with an RBI, while Grant Cox was the third Saint with multiple hits, finishing 2-4 with a run scored.

Starting pitcher Brooks Kappelmann (L, 0-2) was saddled with the loss, tossing 3.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, striking out three, and walking three. Trajan Chavez was solid in relief, allowing no runs in 1.2 innings of work, striking out two.

Vernon's Evan Dugdale was 4-4 with four RBI, Irvin Leonard was 3-4 with four runs scored and four RBI.

Game 2: Seward 9, Vernon 0 (9 inn.)

Lujan dazzled in his game two start, working 6.0 scoreless innings allowing just five hits, striking out nine, and walking one. He handed the reins to Turner (Save, 1), who did not allow a hit over the final 3.0 innings, striking out six and working around five walks.

The Seward offense used multiple runs in the third and fifth innings to get out to the big lead.

Santaella hit his second home run of the day to get the scoring started in the bottom of the third, a two-run shot over the center field wall. Seward went ahead 8-0 with four runs in the fifth. A wild pitch scored Hayden Ramage before Mason Gilbert hit a bases-clearing double that scored three. Emry Cairns hit a sacrifice fly to right in the seventh for insurance.