Box Score ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] For the second consecutive game, Missouri Baptist allowed a seven run inning, but this time, it put the home team in a serious hole. The Spartans mounted a big comeback on Wednesday, capped-off with a walk-off home run by Hector Candelaria to give MBU a thrilling 9-8 win in 10 innings.
Missouri Baptist (26-4, 10-3 AMC) fell in a deep hole early as the game turned on a dime in the third inning. Neither team recorded a hit in the first two innings, but that all changed in the top of the third as the Vikings put the Spartans on their heels.
Tim Roddy recorded the first hit of the day for Missouri Valley with one out and began the hit parade. The Vikings recorded six hits in the inning and posted seven runs to put the Spartans in a big jam.
Missouri Baptist fired back in the bottom-half. A walk and a hit batsman put the first two aboard in the inning as the heart of the Spartan order came-up big. Orlando Olivera and Eli Roundtree both recorded RBI singles and led the team to three runs.
MBU mounted the remainder of the comeback in the innings to come. Heading into the eighth inning, the Spartans trailed 8-6, but were able to find two more runs in the bottom-half.
Aaron Pangilinan led-off with a triple and scored just moments later on a balk and made it an 8-7 game. Then, with two out and Jared Hagley standing on second base as the runner for Justin Boman, Austyn Nagamine entered the game to pinch hit for Aaron Collazo and tied the game on the first pitch. The Spartan catcher drilled a double to score Hagley from second base and tied the game at eight.
The Spartans had a chance to win it in the ninth, but stranded the winning run at second base, and sent the game to extra innings.
Free baseball at Spartan Field proved to be a positive thing for the home team as Hector Candelaria ended the game as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 10th. The Spartan backstop ended the game with one swing of the bat with a thrilling walk-off home run to right field.
The Spartans were led by Olivera, who recorded his team-leading sixth, three-hit game. The left fielder also hit his 10th home run of the season. Eli Roundtree connected on his eighth long fly of the year and went 2-4 with two RBI.
Missouri Baptist will remain at home and will host Lyon College over the weekend. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Spartan Field.
