Stallions Claim Share Of SLABA Regular Season Title With 10-0 Win Over Eagles West

T.R. HUGHES BALLPARK – For most of the summer the Stallions Baseball Club of Wentzville and St. Peters has been the best team by far in the SLABA 18 and-under league.

At one point heading into July, the Stallions were 15-6 on the season, and had won nine of their first 10 SLABA League games.

But a three-game losing streak last week, which included losses to the Blazers and Eagles West, cast some doubt on whether the Stallions would be able to finish out another championship season for its program.

Since then, though, the Stallions have regained their championship mojo, with four straight victories by a combined score of 42-16, including a 10-0 win in a rematch with Eagles West Wednesday evening at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.

“Seems like we had a little lull, in the last week,” Stallions head coach Scott Seddon said. “It’s the middle of summer. It’s hot. And we preached to them last few ballgames, to come out, play hard, and give it everything you’ve got.”

Turned out, a haymaker of a second inning, which began with five straight hits and led to six unanswered runs was all the Stallions would need.

Jake Birke (St. Dominic), Cody Spotanski (), Sam Myers (Fort Zumwalt West), and Tim Livingston (Troy) all had run-scoring singles in the inning.

The big blow though, was a two-run single by shortstop Daniel Seddon (Fort Zumwalt South) that gave the Stallions what seemed an insurmountable lead, even though it was still only the second inning.

“Hitting is contagious,” Scott Seddon said. “(Tuesday) night, we didn’t hit the ball very well, and that’s contagious too. We feel we can score runs with anybody up and down our lineup.”

Livingston, who had three hits in the game, sparked the finishing rally in the fourth, when he led off with a line-shot triple to the left-centerfield wall.

Daniel Seddon, who had two hits and three RBIs, drove him in with a smash through the hole at short, then advanced to third on a hit up the middle by Branden Sugar ().

Chapman scored on a sacrifice fly by Birke to make it 9-0, but it was Sugar that made it possible for the game to end early, when he added the 10th run by stealing third, then scoring when the catcher’s throw sailed into leftfield.

Starter Lew Caradonna (Fort Zumwalt North) raised his pitching record to 7-1 for the Stallions this summer, after shutting out the Eagles for all five innings, and only allowing just four hits.

With the SLABA League playoffs set to begin this weekend, Caradonna was the only pitcher the Stallions planned to use on Wednesday.

And it was clear, the Lindenwood University recruit had no intentions of asking for any help from his bullpen.

“Lew has got one of those arms, it doesn’t matter if he threw yesterday or the day before,” Scott Seddon said. “He’s been ready to go every day. So, he’s been very valuable to us.”

The regular season finale victory means the Stallions will head to the playoffs with a 23-8 overall record this summer, and are assured of at least a piece of the SLABA League regular season title.

The Stallions are currently a half-game ahead of the Blazers, who also won Wednesday night, and will have to see what the all-star team from Jefferson County does in its regular season finale Thursday night, at Fox High, against the Easton St. Louis Tigers to find out if the league title will be theirs alone, or if there will be co-champs this year.

No matter what though, the Stallions will be the No. 1 seed when the SLABA League Tournament bracket is announced on Thursday or Friday.

“It’d be nice to have a couple more wins and own that outright,” Scott Seddon said. “But they can’t take champs, at least co-champs away from us, and that feels good.”

The Eagles, 17-10 overall and 9-6 in league play, have one more regular season contest, they’ll play American National on Thursday, at 3 p.m., at the Hazelwood Sports Complex on Aubuchon Road.

“Hopefully, we’ll get a good game under us tomorrow, and be ready for the tournament,” Eagles head coach Mike Buda said. “I don’t mind going in as a No. 4 or No. 5 seed. We’ll sneak up on some people.”