SAINT LOUIS – Missouri Baptist Baseball fell behind in the second inning and was never able to recover. The Spartans committed a critical error in the inning, which led to a four-run second and a Georgia Gwinnett upset win over the Spartans.
 
Missouri Baptist (0-1) posted the first two runs of the contest as General McArthur made his presence known in his first game as a Spartan. The junior from Chicago went 2-3 in the game as the table-setter for the visiting team.
 
After a leadoff walk, McArthur stole second and third before Domonique Hernandez drove him in on a fielder's choice.
 
Hernandez and Drew Brooks were both active on the base path and accounted for the second run of the game. The duo pulled-off the double steal as Brooks, the Spartan designated hitter, crossed the plate to make it a 2-0 game.
 
A forgettable bottom of the second, however, put the Grizzlies in the lead for good. Two walks and a pair of singles with one away caused Coach Eddie Uschold to pull starter Alex Hanft and put the game in the hands of the Spartan bullpen early.
 
Robby Brewster calmed things down, but the damage was done. All four runs in the frame were credited to Hanft as the Spartans found themselves down 6-3 after two innings.
 
The positive for the Spartans was the job of the bullpen. Brewster and Hayden Crowe held the Grizzlies to just two earned runs in the final seven innings, but it was the early errors and passed balls that came back to haunt Missouri Baptist.
 
The Spartan bats did not get going in the game as McArthur was the lone player in the order to record a multi hit day. Gabriel Castillo, Hernandez, Mason Washington, Enrique Veras and Dillon Harp all recorded their first hit of the season on Thursday.
 
Grizzlies' leadoff hitter C.J. Ballard looked to be in midseason form in the game. The junior transfer from Georgia Southern went 4-5 in his season debut with a pair of RBI.
 
Missouri Baptist will have two more in Lawrenceville, Ga., as the series heat's up. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CST.