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Box Score 2 ST. LOUIS – [GAME 1 BOX] [GAME 2 BOX] Missouri Baptist baseball stumbled out of the gate against College of the Ozarks (Mo.) early in Tuesday's doubleheader, but rebounded in a big way in game two. After dropping the first 7-5, the Spartans rallied for a big 10-6 win in game two in Point Lookout, Mo.
Missouri Baptist (32-9, 15-3 AMC) struggled in game one of the non-conference doubleheader against the Bobcats and allowed seven runs on nine hits in the loss.
The Spartans plated the game's first run in the top of the second, all with two out. Jared Hagley reached base on an error by first baseman, J.D. Payne, and put the first runner aboard in the inning. Two consecutive walks and a wild pitch allowed Hagley to score and put Missouri Baptist ahead by a run.
The Bobcats came back in the bottom-half. A hit batsman and a balk allowed the first runner in scoring position on the day before Payne singled-in the first RBI for the home team and tied it at one apiece. Kole Kelley followed later in the inning with an RBI single of his own and put College of the Ozarks up 2-1. Payne later homered,
The Bobcats followed the two-run second with three in the third, courtesy of a three-run home run by Payne, the game-winning run in the fifth and an insurance tally in the sixth to preserve the upset over the No. 9-ranked Spartans.
Missouri Baptist mounted a four-run comeback in the final two innings, but could completely dig out of the early hole.
Austin Rieman homered for the Spartans in the game while Bobby Evans took the loss. The junior lefty is now 2-3 on the year.
In game two, the Spartan bats did their job throughout, but put together a five-run fourth inning to take full command of the game.
Missouri Baptist posted the game's first run in the top of the first. Tim Hergert led-off the game with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brian Poupore to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The Spartans extended the lead by another run in the third. With runners at first and second with two out, Angel Cruz recorded his first RBI of the game on a single to shallow center.
Up 2-0, the Spartan-half of the fourth became a big one. The Spartans plated five runs and extended its lead to 7-0.
The Bobcats sent three pitchers to the hill in the inning and allowed a total of four hits and four stolen bases in the top-half of the fourth as Missouri Baptist cruised to its 32nd win of 2016.
Though the Bobcats cut the lead by as many as four in both the fifth and the seventh, the Spartans continued their assault on College of the Ozarks' pitching. The Spartans plated another in the fifth and two in the sixth to nail-down the victory.
Patrick Boyle got the win in his ninth appearance, and seventh start, of the season. Boyle tossed four and two thirds of an inning and allowed four runs on six hits with two strikeouts. The junior lefty moved to 4-0 on the year with the win.
Austin Sweet entered in the bottom of the fifth and quickly got the final out to end a four-run rally by the Bobcats. Sweet pitched through six innings as Brandon Nunn entered in the seventh.
Tim Hergert led the offense in game two. The shortstop went 2-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Brian Poupore also turned-in a two RBI, two hit performance while Culver Plant swatted two hits of his own with three runs scored.
Missouri Baptist will now return home on Friday in a big American Midwest Conference matchup against the Williams Baptist (Ark.) Eagles. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Spartan Baseball Field.
