ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri Baptist Spartans offense experienced an explosion in two games against Harris-Stowe State University on Monday afternoon. Banging out eight home runs on the day, MBU won the first game 12-0 and the second 13-5.
 
GAME ONE:  MBU 12, HSSU 0
While the MBU bats were doing their thing against the Hornets pitching, the story of Game One was really Spartan hurler Anthony Green. The junior from St Louis was masterful in surrendering just a single hit and two walks in six innings of work. He struck out 14, meaning only four recorded outs in six innings came by some method other than strikeout. Green and catcher Jakob Kouneski seemed to be in unison all day as the big right-hander worked extremely quickly and only rarely shook off a sign from his catcher. As a testament of his expediency, the gametime for the entire seven inning game was one hour and 36 minutes. In the seventh Green gave way to Adrien Clark, who in making his second appearance of the season, struck out the side to end the game. Between Green and Clark, 17 of 21 out were recorded via strikeout.
 
Meanwhile the Spartan offense was busy putting up 12 runs, most of them by way of the long ball. It took MBU until the third inning to figure out Hornets starter Armando Sierra, but when they did the runs started coming in bunches.
 
After the first two batters reached first and third to begin the inning, DJ Schmidt broke the scoreless tie with a ground out to drive home Cesar Soto and give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. Alex Adams would follow with his first of two home runs in the game, both of them to almost the exact same spot in right center field. Blaine Besse scored ahead of Adams and the Spartans led 3-0. Cole Robinson got in on the fun with a solo shot of his own and the Spartans had put four runs on the board in the third inning.
 
The next inning in the fourth, MBU would add four more runs. Besse would single to score Soto and Sage McMinn to make it 6-0 MBU. Then that man struck again…Adams hit his second home run of the game and second in consecutive innings and the Spartans had doubled their lead to 8-0.
 
In the fifth, a failed pickoff attempt accounted for the ninth run as pinch runner Kevin Watkins was caught between second and third but the ball was thrown into left field by the Hornets pitcher. Watkins would score and Noah Hemphill who had previously singled ended up on second base. Soto followed with a walk, then it was Besse's turn to unload the bases. And unload he did, as he hit a towering three-run shot to left field to put the Spartans up 12-0.
 
Besse was three for three with five RBIs and three runs scored. Adams was two for four with both hits being home runs, with four RBIs and two runs scored.
 
The victory sends Green to 7-0 on the season and lowers his ERA back down to 3.65. He has now stuck out 66 batters in 37 innings on the season.
 
GAME TWO: MBU 13, HSSU 5
The Spartans bats stayed alive in Game Two of the day as they had 13 runs on 17 base hits, although the game started quietly.
 
MBU scored a run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Noah Hemphill, scoring Blayne Yarger who had doubled earlier in the inning.
 
The Hornets scored their first run of the day in the fourth on a single by Alex Rodriguez to tie the game up at one. It took until the eleventh inning of action for the Hornets to get their third hit of the two games and dent the plate for the first time.
 
But as has been the case with this MoBap team so far this season, a big inning was bound to happen, and it did in the bottom of the fourth. Cole Robinson started the festivities with a single then Blayne Yarger launched a two-run homer. Joe Schmidt immediately followed that with a solo home run to make it 4-1. Noah Hemphill singled then Tommy Patrick Jr. muscled up on one for another two-run homer and it was 6-1. MBU had cranked out three home runs in the first five batters of the frame but they weren't done scoring runs. After a pitching change Cesar Soto doubled and moved to third on a balk. Blane Besse walked. Besse attempted to steal second and the throw was wild, allowing Soto to score to make it 7-1 while Besse advanced to third. The fourth inning scoring concluded with DJ Schmidt singling through the right side of the infield to drive home Besse. The Spartans had pushed across seven runs in the inning and led 8-1 after four innings.
 
Catcher Joe Schmidt would hit his second home run of the game, and second in consecutive innings, to make the score MBU 9-1 after five. The home runs were the second and third of the season for Schmidt, tying him for fourth on the team in that category.
 
HSSU got two back in the top of the sixth thanks to two walks and two singles, making the score 9-3 MBU. Both walks and the first single of the inning came off Spartans starter Micah Diamond, whose day was over after five and two-thirds innings. He gave up four hits and three runs, while walking three and striking out five before giving way to Greg Ryun to finish out the sixth and pitch the seventh.
 
The Spartans got one of those runs back in the bottom of the sixth when Noah Hemphill hit an RBI single bringing home Alex Adams.
 
The Hornets strung together three hits and two runs to inch closer in the seventh. The runs cut the Spartans lead to 10-5.
 
MBU got those runs back in their next at bat when Cole Robinson singled to score DJ Schmidt and later in the inning Yarger singled to bring home Adams making the score 12-5. Schmidt would double in the eighth to score Besse giving the Spartans the final tally of 13-5.  
 
Skout Rallo came on to pitch the final two innings of the nine-inning game, walking two and striking out two but not giving up any runs or hits.
 
Diamond was credited with the victory as he moves his record to 6-0 on the season.
 
The Hornets and Spartans will play one more game Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Spartan Baseball Field to finish out the three-game set and the season series between the two St Louis schools.