On Senior Night, the Sundown Roughnecks hosted the Seagraves Eagles for a district baseball doubleheader this past Tuesday, resulting in the Roughnecks sweeping the series and clinching a playoff spot.
In their first matchup, the Roughnecks beat the Eagles 14-7 across seven innings.
Sundown scored six runs in the second inning and then Seagraves responded with five of their own in the third inning before the Roughnecks rattled off eight unanswered runs in the next three frames. Seagraves would respond with two runs in the seventh inning to no avail.
In the team statistics, the Roughnecks bested the Eagles 9-4 in hits, 11-9 in walks and 1-4 in errors committed.
Sundown’s standouts at the plate in the first matchup included Jaxon Reynolds going ¾ with four runs-battedin, two runs scored and two doubles, Ryland Baldwin going 2/5 with two RBIs, a run scored and a double, Rian Rose going 1/3 with two RBIs, Athan Peralez going 2/3 with three runs scored, three stolen bases, an RBI, a double and a walk, and Ollen Pearson going 1/1 with three walks and a run scored.
Marco Landa started the first game for the Roughnecks, tossing 2.1 innings, surrendering five earned runs on three hits and five walks while striking out two batters. He’d be relieved by Cooper Day, who pitched 4.2 innings, surrendering two earned runs on one hit and four walks while striking out six batters.
In their second matchup, Sundown furthered their dominance with a 25-4 runrule win over Seagraves across four innings.
Sundown held a 9-0 lead after two innings, then Seagraves won the third inning 5-4 before Sundown scored 11 unanswered in the fourth inning to put the game to rest.
In the team statistics, Sundown bested Seagraves 1310 in hits and 17-2 in walks while the teams tied at an error apiece.
The Roughnecks standouts at the plate in the second matchup included Baldwin going 2/4 with five RBIs, two runs scored and a walk, Gordon Mata going 3/3 with four RBIs, three runs scored, a double and a stolen base, Pearson going 2/2 with three RBIs, two runs scored and two walks, Joey Lopez going 1/1 with two RBIs, one walk and a stolen base, Reynolds going 1/1 with three walks, an RBI and a run scored, and Braiden Lara with four walks, three runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base.
Rose would handle all the mound duties in game two, pitching all four innings, surrendering five earned runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out three batters.
The pair of wins improves the Roughnecks record to 11-12 overall and 7-7 in district play, also extending their win streak to six games, a streak that secured them a playoff berth following Tuesday’s wins. “I told the kids coming out of Ropes and New Home, ‘We still have control of our destiny.’ We only had one district win at that point,” Sundown Head Baseball Coach Matthew Schovajsa said. “With high school kids, I don’t know if they believe you or not when you say that, but we just kept at it and rattled off a bunch of wins.”
Their first-round playoff opponent is to be determined but should be announced following the games over the weekend.
Along with the playoff berth, Sundown also celebrated their senior group of players Rian Rose and Braiden Lara, and managers Armani Hernandez and Dago Chagoya with pregame and postgame festivities. And following the game, Coach Schovajsa spoke of this group’s impact on him and the program.
“They’re huge to the program. They came in when they were sophomores and bought in as soon as I got here. They’ve stuck with us and we’re going to miss them a lot,” Coach Schovajsa said. “They’ve coached the younger kids coming in this year because we’ve got six freshman and sophomores starting, and a couple coming off the bench. They’ve coached them up all year and we’re a lot better team because those guys were out here.”
They’ll seek to close out their Sundown baseball careers strong with a long postseason run.