ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Baptist University Spartans stayed perfect on the season with two walk-off victories over Missouri Valley College on Saturday. In game one the Spartans prevailed 10-9, and the second went to extra innings before MBU claimed a 5-3 victory. The Spartans are 10-0 on the season.
 
GAME ONE – MBU 10, MVC 9
The first game on Saturday started similarly to the two games played on Friday, with Missouri Valley taking a lead in the first inning. But unlike the first two games of the series, the Vikings didn't settle for just one, putting three on the board in their first turn at the plate in this one. MBU starter Tony Caldwell was uncharacteristically wild at the beginning. After retiring the first batter of the game he hit three of the next four batters sandwiched around a walk. The third hit batsman forced home the first run of the game, then a single chased home two more to make it 3-0 MoVal after one half inning.
 
Just like the previous two games, the Spartans answered immediately. DJ Schmidt reached on a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He was at second base with two outs when clean-up hitter Cole Robinson came to the plate. True to his role, Robinson cleaned the bases by hitting his fourth home run of the season to cut the deficit to 3-2. Catcher Jakob Kouneski would follow by hitting his third home run in as many games this weekend. The back-to-back home runs tied the game at three.
 
The Viking third started innocently but quickly turned south for MBU. Caldwell struck out the first batter, then issued a walk, followed by another strikeout. At that point he seemed to lose control of his pitches again. Caldwell walked the next batter, then hit the next one, before walking another to force a run home. Following that walk, Caldwell was lifted for Micah Diamond who entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs. It appeared he would quell the rally when he coaxed a fly ball into right field, but the ball was misplayed for a two base error and two more runs scored. The error was followed by an RBI single and an RBI double. Before Diamond could end the inning with his first strikeout, six runs had crossed the plate and MVC was up 9-3.
 
MBU got two of those runs back to make it 9-5 in the bottom of the third when Schmidt was hit by a pitch and Alex Adams singled. Robinson brought them both home with a single for his third and fourth RBIs of the game.
 
Robinson would be instrumental in MBU inching still closer in the fifth. Blane Besse walked to lead off the inning and came home to score when Robinson hit his second home run of the game and fifth of the season, once again a two run job. It was part of a six-RBI day for the big first baseman and the Spartans trailed only 9-7.
 
In the sixth Noah Hemphill led off with a walk and moved to third on a Tyler Hedtkamp double. When Cesar Soto brought home Hemphill on a fielder's choice the score was 9-8 MoVal.
 
The Spartans were down to their final two outs in the last of the seventh needing to push a run across to keep their spotless record intact.  With one out, Adams reached on a single, Robinson singled, and Kouneski walked to load the bases for Hemphill. The senior from Henderson, Nev. Stroked a single to center, scoring Adams and pinch-runner Kevin Watkins and the Spartans had a 10-9 walk-off win, after trailing earlier by six runs.
 
Robinson was four for four with six RBIs. The pitching star was Diamond, who got the win. After the error and the two hits when he entered in the third, he completely shut down the Viking offense by retiring 13 consecutive batters to finish the game. The victory is the second of the season for Diamond.
 
GAME TWO – MBU 5, MVC 3 (8 INN.)
The second game of the day was a little tighter affair but once again included some late game heroics.
 
The Spartans struck first in the second inning when Tommy Patrick Jr. launched a home run to left that came very close to nailing the scoreboard. Cesar Soto and Blane Besse restarted the rally with singles then came home to score on a 2-RBI double by DJ Schmidt. The three runs were all the Spartans could muster…or need…until their last at bat.
 
MoVal would get right back into the game in the third when centerfielder Ivory Daniels connected off starter Tanner Young for the first of two home runs he would hit in the game. This one was a two-run homer to make it 3-2 MBU.
 
Daniels would connect again in the fifth, a solo shot to tie the game up at three.
 
Landon Albers relieved Young and got the final out in the bottom of the sixth before giving way to Skout Rallo to pitch the seventh. Rallo worked a one-two-three seventh but the Spartans were unable to push a run across despite a single by Adams and a walk by Cole Robinson. Rallo was greeted rudely with a double to start the eighth and it looked like this game might be slipping away from MBU. The junior from Ozark, Mo. got out of the inning though with a groundout that advanced the lead run to third, then registering back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat and set things up for another memorable Spartan victory.
 
It didn't take long. Tommy Patrick Jr. doubled into the left field corner to start the eighth. Tyler Hedtkamp came on to pinch-run for Patrick Jr. Soto laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Hedtkamp to third with one out.  Needing only a base hit or a deep fly ball to win the game, Blane Besse did one better. He drove a pitch out of the ballpark over the left centerfield wall for a two-run homer, and the Spartans had a walk-off win…their second of the day.
 
Besse was three for five with three RBIs and two runs scored. Patrick Jr. went two for four including a home run.
 
Rallo got the win by throwing two innings, giving up a single hit and striking out four. It is the first victory of the season for him.
 
The 10-0 start is the best since the 2015 season when they Spartans started 10-0 before losing their first game, then reeling off 10 more consecutive wins to be 20-1 to begin the campaign.
 
MBU will be in Fayette, Mo. next Friday to take on fourteenth-ranked Central Methodist University for two games. They will face the University of Jamestown for a double-header on Saturday at CMU.