ST. LOUIS -- [GAME ONE] [GAME TWO] The Spartans split hard fought doubleheader with Lyon. After a late collapse, Missouri Baptist would fall 7-6 in game one and rebounded in game two with an 18-11 win.
 
Missouri Baptist got off to a quick start in game one when General McArthur and Drew Brooks got on base to start the first inning. A flyball from Gabriel Castillo put the runners in scoring position. This set the stage for RBIs from Mason Washington and Jonathon Pasillas to give the Spartans an early 2-0 lead.
 
Tyler Schmidt led off the top of the second inning by taking the 0-1 offering deep to right-center for his first homerun of the season. A groundout tacked on an extra run to extend the lead to 4-0 after two innings.
 
Robby Brewster cruised through the first two innings but found some trouble in the bottom of the third. Tanner Seibel singled and later scored on a Kylan Barnett RBI double. With a runner on second and two outs, Brewster got Kyle West to pop out to the catcher, ending the threat.
 
Pasillas kept the offensive wheels spinning in the fifth with a two RBI double to left-center. Castillo and Washington scored on the batted ball, giving Brewster a nice cushion heading into the final three frames.
 
After surrendering two walks and a hit in the sixth, Brewster's day was done (5.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 SO). Hayden Crowe was trusted out of the bullpen to relinquish the fire, but walked the first hitter he faced, giving the Scots their second run of the game. Two singles and an error brought home two more runs making the score 6-5.
 
The Spartans made their second pitching change of the sixth inning, bringing in Miguel Ruiz to stop the bleeding. On his second pitch of the game, a run scored on a wild pitch, tying the game. After giving up five runs in the sixth inning, the Spartans escaped the jam when Ruiz got Tanner Siebel to lineout to left.
 
Missouri Baptist went down without a whimper in the top of the seventh inning. In the bottom half a walk, a wild pitch, and a throwing error would sink the Spartans 7-6 in game one of the doubleheader.
"Robby Brewster was excellent again," commented Head Coach Eddie Uschold. "Unfortunately we were unable to nail down the victory for him."
 
The Spartans and the Scots continued to exchange punches in the second game. Pasillas got the Spartans an early lead once again, driving home McArthur in the top of the first. Gary Watkins held the Scots scoreless through the first frame.
 
Brooks drove home two more in the top of the second inning after a double steal put two runners in scoring position.
 
Lyon roared back again putting up a four spot off Watkins in the bottom of the second. Barnett threw the haymaker in the inning with a double to right field that brought home two runs.
 
The Spartans returned the favor when Washington doubled to begin the inning, scoring on Schmidt's triple a few batters later. Schmidt was driven home on Caleb Dean's RBI ground out, making the score 5-4 halfway through the third inning.
 
The pitching for Missouri Baptist continued to unwind in the next three innings. In the third, Lyon tied the game on a bunt single from Logan Reddick. The Scots brought home two more runs in the fourth inning on a throwing error and a run scoring single from Easton Moore. West singled to left field for the Scots in the fifth, bringing home Andrew Sauceda.
 
Down 8-5 with two innings to play, Gabriel Castillo doubled home General McArthur shortening the gap. With two outs in the inning, the Lyon left fielder dropped a fly ball off the bat of Tyler Schmidt, plating two more runs for Missouri Baptist. In the bottom half of the inning, Austin Schiber gave the Spartans a much-needed clean frame in his third inning of work.
 
The offense, revitalized by the new life, exploded in the top of the seventh inning for five runs. Wayne Roberts got things started with a double to deep left-center and later scored on Dillon Harp's single. The Spartans would put up four more runs in the innings on two errors and four hits.
 
The onslaught continued in the eighth inning as Missouri Baptist extended their lead to nine runs. The inning was marked by a bases loaded double by Mason Washington that brought home three runs.
 
Lyon showed resiliency in the bottom of the eighth plating two more runs, cutting the Spartan lead to 17-10.
 
McArthur got his fourth hit of the game on a double in the ninth and came around to score his fifth run on a wild pitch. Lyon put up one last run in the bottom of the ninth, but it was not enough. The final score was 18-11, giving the Spartans their fifth win of the season.
 
General McArthur had a great day at the plate collecting five hits and scoring six runs. Jonathon Pasillas also had a notable performance in the doubleheader, driving in four runs on three hits.

"After being down twice and playing poor defensively, [Austin] Schiber really picked us up and the offense responded," Uschold noted after game two. 
 
The Spartans will continue the series against the Scots tomorrow in Batesville, Arkansas. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.