ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist Baseball needed a star effort against a team that gave it trouble in the regular season. The Lyon (Ark.) Scots finished as the lone American Midwest Conference team to earn a series victory over the Spartans during the year, but an offensive explosion quieted the Scots early and led to a 15-2 win for the top-ranked Spartans. 

Missouri Baptist (41-11) put together a two-run third inning, and exploded to the tune of five runs in the fourth to cruise to its second win of the AMC Championship Tournament.

Keven Long got the nod on the hill in game two and the junior was as solid as he has been all season. The Spartan hurler went eight full innings and allowed just two runs, one earned, as he recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts.

Missouri Baptist plated two in the third inning as Tim Hergert led things off with a single. Culver Plant followed with the first home run of the game to give his team the lead.

The Spartans continued the upward trend in the fourth as a shot off the bat of Angel Cruz put the game squarely in the hands of Missouri Baptist. Cruz stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one run already home and swatted a grand slam to extend the Spartan lead to give his team a 7-0 lead.

The Scots got one back in the sixth as an extra out allowed Lyon to plate its first run.

Missouri Baptist's long struck-out Evan Johnson for the third out, but the third strike came on a wild pitch, which allowed the Lyon left fielder to take first and extend the inning.

Johnson stole second and came around to score as Kris Kohlstedt sent the first run home for the Scots. The center fielder sent an RBI single to shallow center, and put the home team on the scoreboard.

The Scots put another run on the board in the eighth, but it was all Missouri Baptist in the ninth. The No. 10-ranked team in the NAIA placed another five-spot on the board in the final frame and advanced in the winner's bracket finals on Friday.

The Spartans' Hergert and Jared Hagley both posted a four-hit day and led the Spartans to its second-consecutive game with over 15 hits. MBU finished the game with 16 hits.

Both Cruz and third baseman Culver Plant recorded a two-hit day as well. The duo combined for seven RBI in the game.

Missouri Baptist will now face the winner of Central Baptist (Ark.) and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), set to play Thursday evening. The winner of Friday's game will advance to the finals and the loser will play one more for a chance to face the winner of the winner's bracket.

First pitch on Friday is set for 5:00 p.m. in Henderson, Tenn.