Box Score ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] After an early back-and-forth struggle, Missouri Baptist broke through. The Spartans posted 13 runs in the longest nine-inning game of the season to take a series sweep over Central Baptist (Ark.) and won its 18th consecutive game in the process, 13-6.
Missouri Baptist (28-6, 13-1 AMC) got on the board in the second, courtesy of Tyler Greminger. The junior muscled-up on the first pitch he saw and sent it over the wall in left-center to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
Central Baptist answered in the top of the fifth thanks to two Spartan errors. Santez Richardson popped-up to first, but due to one large gust of wind, the ball moved from first base all the way back to the third base side of the pitchers mound and dropped in for a hit. Wind gusts reached 25-30 mph on Saturday, which made things interesting every time a ball went into the air.
The hit from Richardson, put two runners on and allowed the Mustangs to tie the game on the next at-bat. Scott Gracey reached on an error by Culver Plant, which scored Ryan Johnson, and tied the game.
The Mustangs took the lead later in the inning on a fielding error from Tim Hergert, and put the home team on the defensive for the first time in the game.
Missouri Baptist regained the lead in the bottom half, however.
Tim Hergert led-off and took the first pitch he saw to center field to put the first runner aboard with no outs. Plant followed and tied the game at two with an RBI double to the gap in left-center. Plant advanced all the way to third and the throw and put the lead run 90 feet away. His speedy base-running was rewarded shortly thereafter. Plant scored the lead run just moments later on an Aaron Kincaid wild pitch to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead.
The Mustangs answered right back in the top of the sixth. Austin Kuchinski doubled with one out and put the lead run in scoring position. Moterio May replaced him on the base path and scored on a Nash Nichols RBI single to make it 3-3.
Keven Long was chased from the game with two on and one out, which gave Austin Sweet a chance to end the inning on the hill. The senior hurler struck-out one and got a ground out with the bases loaded to keep the game tied heading for the bottom-half.
The Spartans regained the lead yet again in the bottom of the sixth. With runners at second and third with two away, Hergert looped a single into shallow center, which scored two, and gave Missouri Baptist a 5-3 advantage. From this point forward, the home team took full control.
Missouri Baptist scored three in the sixth and seventh, and four in the eighth to complete its 18thconsecutive win of the season.
The Spartans were led by the combined efforts of Greminger and Hergert on the day. Greminger, the left fielder went 4-5 with three RBI. Entering the day, the junior from Bloomsdale, Mo., was hitting .216, but after his assault on Mustang pitching, he has raised his average to .286 on the year.
Hergert did once again what he has done all season from the dish. The shortstop went 3-4 with three RBI and boosted his season average to .373.
Keven Long picked-up his fourth win of the season. The junior went five and one-third innings and allowed three runs, one of which was earned, with six strikeouts.
Austin Sweet and Brandon Nunn, though each allowing their first runs of the season, were very effective. Sweet tossed one out short of three full innings, his longest outing of the season.
Missouri Baptist will now head out on the road for the next week as the team will get set for the short trip to Marshall, Mo., to take-on Missouri Valley College in non-conference action.
