SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Rallying from a 15-point deficit, the Missouri Baptist University men's wrestling team pulled off a comeback Tuesday evening, narrowly defeating NCAA Division II opponent Drury University on the road 24-22.
 
In the earlygoing, the Spartans surrendered two pins in the first three bouts before getting their first points via forfeit at the 149-pound weight class (Bachowski). Nick Olejnik earned three points for MBU winning his individual match in the 165-pound division over Colin Harper, 4-0. Olejnik's was the start of four straight matches in favor of the Spartans.
 
Following a win over Wayland Baptist's Tommy Rosen-St. John last week, 174- pounder Jake Mattson won his second straight match with an 8-2 decision over Drury's Dylan Komperda.
 
Like Bryce Bachowski, freshman Cody Donnell earned six crucial points for Missouri Baptist via forfeit due to injuries for the Panthers at the 184-pound weight class.
 
Sealing the deal for the Spartans in the second-to-last bout of the evening was Sedrak Sheppard, who recorded MBU's only pin of the night. Sheppard took down DU's Dylan Ballew in the second period at the 4:13 mark.
 
While Drury was victorious in the heavyweight division, upperclassmen Cory Flemming avoided a loss by fall or tech fall, which guaranteed the Spartans' team victory.  
 
With the win, MBU improved to 3-4 on the season in duals, while Drury is still searching for its first win at 0-2.
 
Next up for Missouri Baptist is the Missouri Valley College Invitational. The two-day event in Marshall, Missouri runs from Friday, Jan. 18 through Saturday, Jan. 19.