Sterling, Kan. – By sweeping the Bethany Swedes in a four game series that ended on Monday, the Sterling College Warrior baseball team has a two game lead on top of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) with eight games remaining in the 2011 regular season. The Warriors won 8-6, 11-7, 3-1, and 3-2 in the four games to improve to a 17-3 KCAC record, 25-17 overall.

In the opening game of the series, Bethany used a late game rally to force the game into extra innings. Tied at six runs a piece, the Warriors then scored two runs in the top of the ninth. Chris Trujillo would shut down the Swedes in the bottom half of the inning, and Sterling would win with a final score of 8-6.

Bonus baseball would again be played in the second game as SC would tie the score in the top the seventh on a Bethany error on a play that could have ended the game. The Warriors would take advantage of the extra inning, lighting up the scoreboard with five eighth inning runs, four of which came on a Chad Johnson grand slam. Matt Eshleman would give up one run to the Swedes in the bottom half of the eighth and Sterling would win 11-7.

Pitcher Danny Valenzuela would earn a complete game victory in the third game of the series for Sterling. Valenzuela would give up five hits and one run in 7.0 innings of work, allowing Sterling’s modest three runs to be good enough for the 3-1 victory.

The Warriors would put up three runs again in the final game of the series, and the pitching combo of Tyler Deutscher and Trujillo would keep Bethany on the ropes. The pair combined to allow five hits and two runs over 7.0 innings and Sterling won 3-2.

With the four wins, Sterling holds a two game lead in the KCAC over both Tabor College and Kansas Wesleyan University, Sterling’s opponents in the final two regular season series. The Warriors will open up their series against Kansas Wesleyan on Thursday in Sterling for a double header. The first game starts at 1:00 pm.