STERLING, Kan. – Bluejay Baseball made the trip down to Sterling on Friday afternoon for the first game of the series against Sterling College. Heading into the afternoon's contest, the Bluejays were looking to put a disappointing loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan at home behind them, while in the other dugout, the Warriors were in the exact opposite situation, coming into the game fresh off a huge win over Southwestern.

Game One: W, 19-7

The Bluejays got off to what could be considered as a slow start, ending the top of the 1^st inning without scoring a run. Sterling however got going quickly, thanks to an RBI-double and a two-RBI single, giving them an early 3-0 advantage.

Garryn Plummer did what he does best and put the Bluejays on the board with his first of three RBIs on the afternoon, hitting a ground-rule double and scoring Mikey Acosta. The second Tabor run came in as a wild pitch sent Isaiah Cohens home, bringing the Bluejays within one run of evening out the game. Micah Dvorak followed by hitting a single up the middle and sending Mateo Martinez in to score, tying the game at three runs apiece.

Tabor's defense kept the Warriors off the board in the bottom of the 3^rd inning, stranding two men on the bases with one in scoring position.

Things heated up in the top of the 4^th inning as Cohens hit an RBI single to center field, sending Jared Mack to cross home plate. Plummer recorded his second and third RBIs of the afternoon with a two-RBI double to left center, scoring both Cohens and Acosta. The final run of the 4^th inning came via a wild pitch that sent Plummer home. The big inning saw the Bluejays take a 7-3 lead.

After a scoreless bottom of the 4^th and top of the 5^th, Sterling made some moves to cut Tabor's lead to one, via two RBI singles and a Bluejay error.

Cody Moore broke the game wide open in the top of the 7^th with a hit that looked like it was going to be caught by the Sterling outfielder but instead was tipped over the wall for a huge three-run homer. Juan Rosa Gonzalez immediately followed up Moore's bomb with one of his own, extending the TC lead to five, 11-6. Shortly after that, Mack dug in and launched a homer over the left center fence to give the Bluejays a 14-6 advantage. The remaining five Tabor runs came in courtesy of three RBI singles, one RBI double, and one sac-fly.

Sterling scored one final run in the bottom of the 7^th inning, but that was not enough to keep the game from ending in a run-rule favoring the Bluejays, 19-7.

Wyatt Bauer provided a spectacular performance on the mound, throwing 96 pitches, facing 27 batters, and striking out eight over the course of 5.1 innings and earning his first win in a Bluejay uniform. Lee Souza pitched in relief and earned the save.

Cody Moore led the team offensively with four RBIs, while he along with Jared Mack and Juan Rosa Gonzalez each hit one homer. 

With the win, the Bluejays improve to 13-8 on the season and 8-5 in KCAC action.

The Bluejays return to the diamond on Saturday afternoon for the doubleheader portion of the series. Saturday's action is scheduled for a 12:00pm start and will be broadcast live on the KCAC Network. Live stats will also be available.

Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
 
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).