COLUMBIA, Mo. – MBU Baseball (18-11) wrapped up its four-game series with first-place Columbia (23-6) on Monday, earning a split in the doubleheader. The Spartans (11-5 AMC) remain one game back of the Cougars (12-4 AMC) in the AMC Standings.
GAME ONE
The Spartans drew first blood in the second inning when
Tommy Patrick Jr. took Columbia starter Mark Haire deep for a two-run homer. The Spartans would later have a chance to extend the lead but
Treyton Steffler was called out on a close play at the plate. They would get that run eventually when
Hunter Hill singled in
Carter Mize in the third.
After leaving runners on against MBU starter
Matthew Hess in both the first and second innings, Columbia finally cashed in for four in the bottom of the third to take a one-run lead. The AMC's top two would go back and forth for the next four innings.
RBI doubles from
Kyle O'Brien and
Noah Hemphill made it 5-4 Spartans in the top of the fourth. CC tied it in the bottom of the frame and then took the lead in the sixth.
Hunter Hill came through again in seventh to tie it for MBU once more at six. His third hit of the game, a line drive double into the left field corner, brought Hemphill home.
The Spartans could not hold the Cougars off the board in the seventh. A one-out single up the middle by Kole Ficken scored Kellen Williamson from second. Columbia ensured their hold on the top spot in the conference with a 7-6 victory.
GAME TWO
Columbia started the series finale with three straight hits to take a 1-0 first inning lead but that was where the positives ended for the home team. The Spartans took a 4-1 lead after three innings and a 6-3 advantage after six.
They would then break it open on the over-taxed Cougar bullpen with 10 runs in the seventh and eighth innings. With a 16-3 lead entering the bottom of the eighth, the Spartans finished it off early on the run-rule.
Kyle O'Brien stayed red-hot, finishing the doubleheader a combined 6-8 with a home run and four RBI. O'Brien is now hitting .402 and slugging .729 through 29 games.
Tommy Patrick Jr. also provided power in the lineup with a HR in both games, bringing his season total to four.
Noah Hemphill was 4-7 and scored three runs. The sophomore is second only to O'Brien in average (.364) after recording multiple hits in all four games in the series.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Spartans are now three games ahead of CBC and Lyon for second place in the AMC (and holding a tiebreaker over Lyon). They'll try to keep pace with Columbia when they travel to Williams Baptist (11-17, 7-9 AMC) in Walnut Ridge, Ark. on Friday. Only 12 games remain on the conference schedule.
