COLUMBIA, MO. – The tenth-ranked Missouri Baptist Spartans scored two come-from-behind wins thanks in large part to their prolific hitting on Monday. MBU took the first game 8-5 by scoring an improbable six runs in their last at-bat, then scored 11 more runs in the second game in securing an 11-7 victory to take the first two games of the three-game series at Battle High School vs. the Columbia Cougars.
 
GAME ONE – MBU 8, CC 5 (7 Inns.)
The first game looked as though it would be a pitchers dual until a late offensive barrage turned the tempo in the sixth and seven innings.
 
Columbia managed the only run in the first four innings when two Spartans errors in the second inning would chase across a single run to give the Cougars the lead.
 
The Spartans would go quietly through the first four innings with just three hits to that point against Cougar starter Bryce Taylor. The Spartans bats would start to wake up in the fifth as they foretold what was to come in the Spartans final at bat in the seventh.
 
Catcher Jakob Kouneski would walk to lead off the fifth and be lifted for a courtesy runner, Kevin Watkins. Noah Hemphill singled, then following a strikeout by Tommy Patrick Jr., Cesar Soto would walk to load the bases. Left fielder Blaine Besse then singled to left to score Watkins and Hemphill to the give the Spartans their first lead, 2-1, after four and half innings.
 
The Cougars would answer back with authority in the bottom of the sixth. An inning that included a single, an intentional walk, two doubles and two triples resulted in four runs for the Cougars to give them a 5-2 advance going into the seventh inning with just three outs to get.
 
The Spartans made the most of those three outs. Patrick Jr. got the rally started with a solo home run, his second of the season, to lead off the inning to make it 5-3 Columbia.  Following a pitching change, pinch-hitter Sage McMinn greeted the new hurler with a double. After the at-bat Cesar Soto was inserted back into his spot in the lineup to pinch-run for McMinn. After a Blane Besse strikeout, DJ Schmidt doubled to score Soto to cut the Columbia lead to 5-4.  Alex Adams came to the plate and promptly launched a two-run home run to give the Spartans the 6-5 advantage. But the Spartans weren't done yet. Cole Robinson re-started the rally with a single. After yet another Columbia pitching change, Blayne Yarger singled to move Robinson to second base. Following a strikeout, Hemphill singled to score Robinson, making it 7-5. Batting for the second time in the inning, Patrick Jr. reached on a fielding error by the shortstop to bring home Yarger to give the Spartans the final margin of 8-5. In the inning, MBU scored six runs on seven hits. They had seven hits and two runs in the first six innings combined.
 
Anthony Green pitched the first six innings for the win. He is now 6-0 on the season. Skout Rallo came on the pitch a one-two-three seventh inning for his third save.
 
Offensively the hits and runs were distributed pretty evenly throughout the lineup with five Spartans batters going two for four from the plate.
 
GAME TWO – MBU 11, CC 7 (9 inns.)
The Cougars got solo home runs in the first and the second innings and forced a run home on a hit batsman to lead 3-0 after two innings.
 
The Spartans would get one of those runs back in the top of the third when Cole Robinson grounded into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded, bringing home Cesar Soto.
 
MBU saved their best work and took the lead for good in the fourth inning. With one out Noah Hemphill singled. Tommy Patrick Jr. and Soto were hit by pitches in back-to-back at bats to load the bases for Blaine Besse. The senior from Wildwood, Mo. stroked a double to right center to score Hemphill and Patrick Jr., and advancing Soto to third. DJ Schmidt hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Soto to give MBU a 4-3 lead. Alex Adams would hit a fly ball to deep left field that was misplayed allowing Besse to score and Adams to arrive safely at second base. Cole Robinson would follow with an RBI single to score Adams. In all, the Spartans had five players cross the plate in taking a 6-3 lead at the end of three and a half innings.
 
The Spartans would tack on three more in the fifth inning with one run scoring on a wild pitch and the other two coming home on the second two-RBI double of the game for Besse.
 
MoBap led 9-3 but would give all three of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth as the Cougars would score three runs on three hits in the inning.
 
A lead off triple and a wild pitch got Columbia back within two in the sixth.
 
MBU would take on a couple of insurance runs in the seventh, when Besse reached on an error, Schmidt singled, then Robinson brought them both around to score with a double, making it 11-7.
 
Spartans starter Micah Diamond went four innings, giving up six runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out five. Tanner Young followed him to the mound and pitched two innings, giving up just a single run while walking two and striking out two. Young is credited with the win and is now 2-1 on the season. Brady Stephan finished it out the nine-inning game with three strong innings of relief surrendering no hits while walking one and striking out three.
 
The Cougars used nine pitchers to get through the game, with none of them going longer than two and one-third innings.
 
Besse was outstanding offensively, going three for five, with a walk, two doubles, three runs scored and four runs batted in. Robinson also had four RBIs in the game.

Combined between both games of the double-header, the Spartans had 19 runs on 25 hits.
 
With the two victories, the Spartans are now 20-3 on the season. Weather permitting, the Spartans will go for the sweep against Columbia in the third game of the series scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Battle High School.