Saints Open Season With 4 Wins Over Lamar

LAMAR, Colo. – The Seward County Community College softball team opened its 2026 season at Lamar Community College on Saturday afternoon, picking up two wins. The two teams then played a doubleheader in Liberal at French Family Field on Sunday, with the Saints winning both of those games as well.

Head coach Kimber Cortemelia earned her first career head coaching win on Saturday in Lamar.

Seward (4-0) is off to a 4-0 start while Lamar is 0-4. The Saints now hit the road for the entire month of February, with the next home games being the conference opener on March 4th vs. Pratt. Seward returns to action this Friday playing at North Central Texas College in Gainesville, Texas, before taking on No. 1-ranked NJCAA Division 2 foe Murray State in Tishomingo, Okla., on Saturday.

Game 1: Seward 11, Lamar 3 (5 inn.)

The Saints did not get on the board until the fourth inning in the season opener, but used a nine-run fifth inning to earn a run-rule victory.

Lamar took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an infield single. Seward got on the board in the fourth as Mya Van Der Mey doubled in Malaya Garcia and Taylor Harding to make it a 2-1 Seward lead. Lamar tied it at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth, but then Seward's nine-run top of the fifth broke it open. Seward sent 14 batters to the plate. Lamar added a run in the bottom of the fifth but the Saints still won by the 'eight-after-5' run rule.

Kate Perez went 2-4 at the plate with an RBI. Van Der Mey was 2-3 with two doubles and four RBI. Garcia was 1-2 with two RBI. Grace Horne (W, 1-0) threw all five innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits with three walks and no strikeouts.

Game 2: Seward 5, Lamar 1

Game two saw both teams go scoreless over the first three innings. Malaya Garcia hit into an RBI fielder's choice in the top of the fourth to give Seward a 1-0 lead. Seward used three runs in the top of the fifth to build a 4-0 lead as Perez, Emily Lane and Van Der Mey all drove in runs. Lamar plated its lone run in the fifth inning, but Seward added another off an error in the sixth and used strong pitching to close it out.

Van Der Mey was 2-4 with an RBI, while Ella Doxey was the other Saint to record two hits, going 2-3. Lane scored a team-high two runs. Aaliyah Arredondo (W, 1-0) recorded the win as she threw 4.2 innings in the start, allowing one run on five hits. Liberty Sharman (S,1) picked up a 2.1 inning save, allowing just two hits. The Seward pitching staff did not record a strikeout in either game on Saturday despite allowing just four runs.

Game 3: Seward 10, Lamar 2 (6 inn.)

The Saints returned home on Sunday for the 2026 home opener. They got out to a quick start with three runs in the first and plated a run in every inning except the fourth in a run-rule win.

Harding led Seward with three hits, scoring two runs. Van Der Mey and Lane were both 2-4, with Lane driving in two runs. Sharman (W, 1-0) got the start and threw 4.0 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, striking out three, and walking five. Kaitlyn Gonzales threw the final 2.0 innings, allowing a lone hit.

Game 4: Seward 11, Lamar 2 (5inn.)

Seward used big innings, plating four in the second, three in the third, and four in the fifth to earn an 11-3 run-rule win to close the weekend out.

Four different Saints recorded multi-hit games, with Harding finishing 2-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Jewell Carleton, Lane and Perez each had multi-hit and multi-RBI games. Grace Horne picked up her second win of the weekend throwing the first 3.0 innings, allowing one earned run and striking out one. Sharman threw the final 2.0 innings, striking out three and walking none, allowing one hit.