2016 Northeast Kansas League Legion Baseball Standings - click here

2016 McDonald's "Players of the Game" on KNZA - click here

The top two teams and Divisional leaders in the Northeast Kansas League squared off against each other on Friday night as Seneca hosted Doniphan County in legion baseball action. Doniphan County took the first two games of the season against Seneca but Seneca repaid the favor at home and swept Doniphan County handing them their first two losses of the season on Friday night. Seneca claimed the pair of wins both in walk-off fashion with three-run homers to end each game, winning 4-2 in eight innings and 14-6 in six innings. 

Game one proved to be a pitching duel as Nathan Gaarder and the combination of Neil Sudbeck and Dalton Hiltibrand got it done on the mound for Doniphan County and Seneca, respectively. Each team had some early base runners, but runs didn't come until the third inning when Reid Greaser blasted a solo homer to center field to give Doniphan County the 1-0 advantage. Seneca answered in the bottom of the third as Hiltibrand reach via an error with one-out and Cody Rottinghaus brought him in with an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1. Over the course of the next four innings Doniphan County had several opportunities to score including leaving the bases loaded in the fifth and had two on nobody out in the sixth, but came up empty stranding 13 runners in the game. Seneca three times from the fourth to seventh with their best scoring opportunity during that time frame coming in the sixth. To extras the game went in the top of the eight Gaarder led the inning off with a double for Doniphan County and an RBI single by Wil Smith brought him in to give Doniphan the 2-1 lead. Gaarder who pitched the whole game for Doniphan came back out for the eighth Seneca got to him for the win as Rottinghaus hit a leadoff double, Kurtis Niehues drew the walk and Sudbeck blasted a three-run homer to win the game, 4-2 in eight innings. 

Sudbeck led Seneca in the win going 2-4 at the plate with the three-run homer, three RBI's, run scored, and reached on an error, while pitching five innings as the starter and gave up just one run on four hits, three walks, a hit batter and struck out 10 earning him McDonald's "Player of the Game" for the second time this season on KNZA. Rottinghaus add offense for Seneca going 2-4 with two doubles, while Hiltibrand pitched the final three innings giving up just one run on five hits, a walk, hit batter and strike out. In the loss Gaarder went 2-3 with a double, hit by pitch and run scored, while taking the tough loss on the mound going seven plus innings giving up four runs on six hits, three walks and recorded 12 strike outs. Greaser also went 2-3 with a walk for Doniphan County in their first loss of the season. 

Game two Seneca took advantage of opportunities early using five walks and two hits, while batting around in the first inning to score four runs and added another in the second to lead 5-0 after two innings. In the third Doniphan County drew three walks and had a hit scoring two runs to but Seneca answered in the bottom of the third with three more runs to lead 8-2. Four more frees passes in the fourth led to another run for Doniphan County but the scoring continued for Seneca when they returned to the plate as Lucas Schraad blasted a two-run homer on his birthday to make it 10-3 after four. A solo homer by Gaarder for Doniphan County got them a run in the fifth and Seneca tallied a run in the bottom of the inning. In the sixth Doniphan County looked like they might break through scoring a pair of runs and had the bases loaded but left three guys on and 10 stranded in the game and Seneca went into the bottom of the six up 11-6. A walk an hit batter got the first two guys on and Rottinghaus stepped to the plate finishing the game with a three-run homer giving Seneca the sweep with a 14-6 six inning win. 

Rottinghaus earned the win on the mound going five innings giving up four runs on three hits, seven walks, a hit batter and struck out 13, while going 2-4 with a three-run homer, walk, four RBI's and reached on an error. Chase Kramer added a 2-3 game with two RBI's and a walk in the Seneca win. Doniphan County in the loss had Gaarder go 2-4 with two RBIs, run scored and solo homer, while Cuttar Huss was 2-2 with a walk. 

The pair of wins move Seneca to 15-3 on the season and 13-1 in League play as they avenged two early season losses to Doniphan County, while Doniphan County suffered their first two losses of the season moving to 19-2 on the year and 12-2 in League action. Both teams are back in action on Sunday as Doniphan County hosts Silver Lake and Seneca plays host to Atchison.