Saline Baseball Sweeps Lincoln to Claim SEC Red Title

It had been five years since the Saline baseball team finished on top of the SEC Red, but the streak is over after the Hornets swept a doubleheader from Ypsilanti Lincoln Monday night.

The league title is the first for Saline since 2018 when the Hornets went 15-0 in the Red.

Things looked bleak for the Hornets back in April when they dropped the first three league games of the season to Monroe, but Saline has reeled off 17 straight wins in the Red to clinch the title.

Saline took an early 1-0 lead when Josh Folk scored on a wild pitch in the second. 

The Hornets put two more on the board in the third when Cade Tousa stole third and scored on an error. Kriss Sydlowski followed with a single and stole second and third and a Jackson Conley sacrifice fly drove him home for a 3-0 lead. 

Lincoln got on back in the fourth, but a Hunter Easton rbi-single plated Folk and an error by Lincoln gave another run to the Hornets for a 5-1 lead.

Tousa drove in a run with a single in the sixth and scored on a Roman Laurio sacrifice fly for a 7-1 lead and the Hornets would hold on for the win in the opener.

Sam Kreuzer crushed two home runs to left to lift the Hornets to the sweep of Lincoln. Photo by Mike Williamson

The Saline offense was led by Tousa with four hits and a rbi, while Jackson Muir had three hits. Easton finished with a hit and rbi and Reed Muir two hits and a run scored. 

Jackson Muir earned the win with seven k's and allowing one hit in five innings of work.

Saline built a 2-1 lead after three, when the Hornets came up big in the fourth with a three-run home run to left by Sam Kreuzer and a two run double by Sydlowski for a 7-1 lead, but the Splitters would answer with five runs in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 7-6.

The Hornets would bounce back in the bottom of the inning when Kreuzer came to the plate with a runner on and crushed another shot to deep left for a two-run blast and a 9-6 lead. They would and an insurance run later in the inning on a Jackson Muir run scoring single to make it 10-6.

The Splitters put two runners on in the top of the sixth, but Zach Fidh got a strikeout to end it and the Hornets rushed the field to celebrate the title. 

Kreuzer finished his monster night with two home runs and five rbi to lead Saline.

Sydlowski finished with three hits and two rbi, while Tate Bezeau had a triple and two rbi. Reed Muir finished with two hits and two runs scored, Jackson Muir a hit and rbi, and Tousa a hit and two runs scored.

Matt Mareno earned the win on the mound with four innings pitched and four strikeouts. Fidh struck out three in two innings of work for the save.

Saline improved to 24-11 overall on the season and will wrap up league play with a game at Lincoln Wednesday.

Photos by Dawn McCann and Mike Williamson