ST. LOUIS – After a split against Benedictine-Springfield on Saturday, Missouri Baptist baseball completed its 2013 conference schedule on a winning note. For the fourth-consecutive season, MBU earned the American Midwest Conference regular-season title with a 9-0 win in game one on Monday. The team then turned-around and swept the Bulldogs with a 12-2 victory in game two.

Missouri Baptist (30-9, 24-4) needed just a split to win the AMC title and clinched in game one thanks to a dominating pitching performance by Nathan Utt. The senior tossed a complete-game, four-hitter with six strikeouts to carry the Spartans.

MBU posted two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and added five in the sixth to grab the No. 1 seed in the AMC Tournament scheduled to begin on Friday, 4/26.

Spartan catcher Joe Stropp had another big game. The junior went 2-4 with a double and a homerun to end the day with four RBI. Leadoff hitter Patrick Johnson went 3-4 in the game with one stolen base and perhaps the highlight play of the season. The MBU shortstop made a dazzling play to turn the 6-4-3 double play to end the game for the home team.

With the win, MBU will now enter the AMC tournament as the No. 1-seed and will play on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Robin Roberts Field in Springfield, Ill. The Spartans will play the winner of the game between No. 4-seeded Benedictine-Springfield and No. 5-seed Park University, to be played at noon that day.