Box Score LEWISTON, Idaho – [BOX SCORE] It took one inning of offense for Missouri Baptist to earn its first win of the 2017 Avista-NAIA World Series. The Spartans posted four of its five runs in the bottom of the third and played sound defense in a 5-3 win in game one on Friday over the Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles.
Missouri Baptist (45-14) began its second trip in team history to the World Series with a critical win, which will ensure an extended stay in Idaho.
Coach Eddie Uschold turned to veteran pitcher Mike Syrett to do the job on the mound, and the senior did not disappoint. The California native went six and a third innings and allowed just three earned runs to the most offensively potent team in the NAIA. He finished with six strikeouts on the day and led the team into the seventh.
It was a strange day for the Spartans on offense as the team recorded six hits. All of those hits, however, came in the third inning. Missouri Baptist recorded four runs on six hits as Angel Cruz started things off.
Cruz, the Spartan designated hitter, led-off the inning with a single, and began the scoring spree. Both Brandon Schlichtig and Kyle Keck followed with bunt singles to load the bases to give Aaron Collazo a chance to put the first runs of the game on the board.
Collazo came through as he batted with the bases loaded. The Spartan leadoff man singled to right field, scoring both Cruz and Schlichtig, and made it a 2-0 game. Culver Plant and Drew Kitson also recorded RBI in the inning and made it 4-0 to close-out the third inning.
The Eagles returned the favor in the top of the fourth. Hunter Henry belted a one-out double to left field, past a diving Kyle Keck, and got things going for his team. A walk and back-to-back singles from Alejandro Hernandez and Alex Lugo led to a three-run inning and cut the Missouri Baptist lead to one.
The Spartans posted another in the fifth, thanks in large part, to two hit batsmen. Austin Rieman led-off by getting hit, and after stealing second base, he reached third on a ground out to the pitcher off the bat of John Hagan. Cruz came to the plate after Miles Fore was plunked and came through yet again. The senior grounded-out to second, which scored Rieman, and gave Missouri Baptist a one-run cushion.
The Spartan bullpen did the rest.
Miguel Ruiz entered in the seventh and allowed just one hit in an inning and a third before closer Nick Vichio entered in the eighth inning with two outs and runners at first and second. The Spartan closer struck-out Jalen Jackson to end the threat and went on to recorded his NAIA-leading 14th save of the season. The former Saint Louis University Billiken recorded each of the last four outs via the strikeout to preserve the win and send the Spartans to Monday with an unblemished record.
Next up for the Spartans will be the winner of No. 2-seed Faulkner (Ala.) and No. 10-seed The Masters University (Calif.). The two schools will face-off on Saturday in a 5:00 p.m. CST first pitch.
GAME NOTES
Missouri Baptist recorded all of its hits in the game during the third inning… Oklahoma Wesleyan's Landon Williams posted four innings of hitless baseball in his outing on Friday… Nick Vichio tied the NAIA lead in saves with his 14th of the season on Friday… Friday's win was the fourth consecutive win over an NAIA Top 15 team… Friday's win gives Missouri Baptist a 3-2 All-Time record in the Avista-NAIA World Series… Missouri Baptist has won the first game of the World Series in both of its trips (2013, 2017)
