JAMESTOWN, N.D. – [BOX SCORE] [OPENING ROUND SCHEDULE] Missouri Baptist led for eight and a half innings on Wednesday, but it was the final one that sealed its fate. After scoring four runs in the first three innings, Missouri Baptist allowed five unanswered runs in the last three innings and was handed a 5-4 loss by the Sterling (Kan.) Warriors at the Jamestown Bracket in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.

Missouri Baptist (43-14) put together one of its most inspired performances of the season, but was not able to keep the top hitting team in the nation down for the entirety. The Spartans recorded four runs on 11 hits, but as Sterling starter Kade Wagner settled-in, the Spartans were unable to break through for another run in the final six innings.

Keven Long got the nod in game one and kept the hot-hitting Warriors off the board as hit team produced from the word go. Long tossed seven and one-third of an inning and didn't allow Sterling a single run until the seventh. It was his performance that put the Spartans in position to grab an upset win over the No. 1-seed.

Missouri Baptist led-off the first with a home-run from Tim Hergert to left-center. The shortstop drilled a 2-1 pitch out of the park to give the visitors on the scoreboard the early lead. It was the third home run of the NAIA Opening Round for the Spartans.

More run support came in both the second and the third. As the Spartans have been known to do, they put together their offense with two outs. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Culver Plant. The junior third baseman knocked a double to center field, which scored both Tyler Greminger and Josh Miguel, and extended the lead to 3-0.

Missouri Baptist posted its final run in the third as Mike Levar continued his hot hitting through the opening round. The junior from Colorado is hitting .625 this week and slugging 1.000 with a home run and two RBI.

The Spartans ran into trouble beginning in the seventh. Catcher Gerald Ceballos was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to put the lead runner at first. Courtesy runner Jake Schimenz came around to score on the lone Spartan error and made it 4-1.

Ceballos came-up big in the eighth as he recorded arguably the biggest hit of the day for the Warriors. The catcher hit a two-run home run off Long, which not only made it a one-run game, but energized the Sterling dugout.

The Spartans exited the inning with a one-run advantage and a chance to seal the deal in the ninth, but Sterling put together some two-out magic of its own. With closer Brandon Nunn on the hill, it was Ceballos who came through yet again. He posted the game-tying RBI single before Luke Maher hit a walk-off single to right field to win the game.

Missouri Baptist handed Sterling starter Kade Wagner is most difficult outing of the season. The four earned runs he surrendered to the Spartans was the most this season.

Missouri Baptist will head back to it on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. to try to come back in its first elimination game. The team will face the winner of Wednesday night's game against Jamestown (N.D.) and Midland (Neb.).