ST. LOUIS—[BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist Baseball pulled its conference record back to 2-2 with an 11-5 win over Williams Baptist College (Ark.) on Friday afternoon.
The Spartan offense came out swinging with two runs in each of the first three innings. Johnathon Pasillas got things started in the first with an RBI single. Tyler Schmidt followed with a double that brought in Mason Washington.
In the second inning, Drew Brooks connected on his second homerun of the year to make it 4-0. The Spartans then sent seven to the plate in the third. John Hagan picked up an RBI on a sac fly and Tommy Nawa drove in Pasillas with a single.
Meanwhile, Miguel Ruiz made his first start of the year on the mound for MBU and came out dealing. The senior didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning. He struck out six in the process.
The Eagles touched up Ruiz for two runs in the fifth but the offense was right there again to pick up their starter. This time, however, they needed just one hit as the WBC bullpen walked in two runs. The inning culminated with a double steal. Mason Washington took off from first while Drew Brooks raced home from third. The four run frame pushed the lead to 10-2.
After the Eagles trimmed the lead to 10-4 in the sixth, the Spartans added another insurance run in the seventh. General McArthur reached on an error to start the inning and stole second. Drew Brooks then moved McArthur to third, also via an error. Gabriel Castillo then brought McArthur in with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Matt Huss relieved Ruiz in the sixth and held steady despite allowing three runs on four hits. Trevor Chaney entered in the ninth and set the Eagles down in order. The final was 11-5.
Miguel Ruiz earned the win with five innings and two runs allowed on two hits.
"Miguel really came out and set the tone for us today," said Head Coach Eddie Uschold. "He was aggressive. He threw strikes and that's what we needed."
Mason Washington led the offense, going 3-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Drew Brooks drove in three while Gabriel Castillo added two more. The Spartans walked eight times while Williams Baptist did not record a single base on balls.
Missouri Baptist improves to 6-10 overall and 2-2 in the AMC. The teams will reconvene at 11 am on Saturday for games two and three of the series. Robby Brewster (1-0) will get the start for the Spartans in the opener. Austin Schiber is expected to toe the rubber in the second game.
