ST. LOUIS – Missouri Baptist baseball needed nine innings in a game scheduled for seven to snatch a 7-6 win away from Williams Baptist College in the American Midwest Conference opener.
Missouri Baptist (5-4, 1-0) took to the field looking to build on a 10-3 win over Lindenwood-Belleville one night prior, but nearly suffered a crushing defeat after a three-run ninth inning by the Eagles.
Williams Baptist struck first blood in the first and drove in an unearned run on a groundout by shortstop Kendall Fay to post the first run of the day. The Spartans tied the game in the bottom of the first. Patrick Johnson doubled to lead-off the game for MBU and was driven in by Pier Olivier-Dostaler to make it a 1-1 game.
The Spartans took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the second. Garret Vail was hit by a pitch to lead the inning. Consecutive bunts by Ryan Clark and Patrick Johnson put Vail at third base with just one out. Olivier-Dostaler then grounded out to third, allowing Vail to reach home on the play and put MBU up 3-2. The team tacked-on another on a fielding error by the Eagles and led 4-2 heading into the third inning.
Scoring went silent in the game until the fifth inning when the Spartans recorded two consecutive fielding errors to begin the inning. Those two runners came around to score and tied the game at three-all.
It was all knotted at three as the game went to extras. Missouri Baptist made an attempt to win the game in the seventh and the eighth, but left runners at third in both innings. Perhaps the closest of these opportunities was in the eighth inning. With Mykol Sostarich on first base, Garrett Vail knocked a double down the right field line. Sostarich came around third and forced a play at the plate, but was gunned down at home.
In the ninth, Williams Baptist chased Spartan reliever Jacob Eichorn from the game and posted three runs on four hits to take a commanding 6-3 lead. Missouri Baptist needed just one-half of an inning to right the ship.
MBU brought the top of the order to the plate and two quick outs by Johnson and Olivier-Dostaler put the game in serious danger. The Spartans, however, found some life in their bats when they needed it the most.
Jo Jo Taylor singled to put the first runner aboard and Ryan Gunhouse followed it up with a triple to center to put MBU within two. Kyle Turner came to the plate and also delivered a two-out RBI with a single to make it a one-run Eagles' advantage.
In just his second at-bat of his MBU career, Mykol Sostarich delivered his biggest hit yet. Sostarich belted a single to shallow left field to tie the game and ignite the small, but loyal Spartan crowd. Just two batters later, Garret Vail drove in the winning run on a base hit to left field and won the game in walk-off fashion. This was the first home game of the season for MBU.
Game two began in nearly the exact same way as the first. Patrick Johnson doubled to lead-off the game and was driven-in by a sacrifice fly by Jo Jo Taylor to give MBU a 1-0 lead. Williams Baptist tied the game in the second inning as designated hitter Jim Manney singled to drive in Cogan Ford.
MBU took the lead back in the fourth. Joe Stropp recorded an RBI on a sacrifice fly, which scored Garrett Yost and put the Spartans up 2-1. Williams Baptist tied the game again in the top of the fifth.
As darkness descended on the field, the umpire crew made a determination that they would make an attempt to get the game in. The Spartans took advantage of this decision in the bottom of the sixth as Stropp delivered another sacrifice fly RBI to put the Spartans back in the driver's seat. As the inning came to a close, the game was suspended due to darkness.
Game two is scheduled to resume in the top of the seventh on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m.
