WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. – It may seem strange to claim an outstanding pitching performance was the difference in a game that featured 22 runs and a 46-minute first inning, but the guy on the hill truly made a difference in the Missouri Baptist Spartans 14-8 victory over Williams Baptist University on Saturday in Walnut Ridge, Ark. The victory means the eighth-ranked Spartans won two out of three from the Eagles over the weekend.
 
Both teams came out of the gate ready to hit in this rubber game of the three-game series. In the first inning, the teams combined to put up 12 runs on eight hits and leave a combined four runners on base.
 
In a strategic move, the Eagles would seem to have had an advantage going into the final game of the series as they had saved their staff ace for the outing. Noah Willingham has twice been named the AMC Pitcher of the Week and came in sporting a 6-3 record with seven complete games and five shutouts. The potent Spartans offense got to him early though.
 
The first four Spartans batters reached as Blane Besse walked, Blayne Yarger doubled, and Alex Adams walked before Cole Robinson drove home the first run of the game on an infield single.  Catcher Joe Schmidt drove home a second run when he grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Yarger. After Adams was thrown out at the plate on a fielder's choice from Noah Hemphill, Tommy Patrick Jr. drove home three with an RBI single coupled with an error on the left fielder. The Spartans were off to a good start leading 5-0 after the top of the first.
 
However, the Eagles were not deterred. The leadoff man was plunked by MBU starter Billy Heil. After a pop out and a walk, Heil was able to induce the cleanup hitter into a strikeout for the second out of the inning. It appeared as though Heil would be able to work out of the two on, two out jam. Instead, the next eight Eagles reached base. A three-run home run by Tate Isaacs made the score 5-3 MBU. That was followed by back-to-back singles. At that point Heil was removed from the game due to injury, and he gave way to Tony Caldwell, who himself is just rounding back into shape from being sidelined. Caldwell did little to put out the flames, at least in the first inning. The first batter he faced singled to score two and tie the game. The next two batters reached on a walk and a single and got to second and third on a wild pitch. Caldwell hit the next batter to load the bases and it appeared the game was unraveling right before the Spartans eyes. Another single allowed the Eagles to take a 7-5 lead. In fact, if it wasn't for a sensational play by third baseman Hemphill, WBU may have gotten even more. On a hard-hit ground ball, he ranged and dove to his left got to his feet and threw across the diamond in time to register the final out of the inning.
 
But when hope was fleeting for the depleted and now-injured Spartans hurlers to be able to hold down the WBU offense, a funny thing happened. When Caldwell took the mound for the second inning, he was a brand-new pitcher. After giving up two runs on two hits, two walks, a hit batsman, and two wild pitches to get the final out of the first, the sophomore from Strafford, Mo. would go six more innings, giving up only a run on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. His effort truly saved the bullpen, the game, and even the series.
 
Meanwhile the Spartans offense kept plugging away. In the top of the fourth, Patrick Jr was at it again, this time reaching on a fielder's choice then scoring on a Yarger single, his third of five hits in six at bats on the day. MBU trailed 7-6.
 
In the top of the fifth, MBU took the lead with the benefit of an error. Cesar Soto appeared he might ground into a bases loaded double play to end the inning, but the pivot throw from second base was off target allowing DJ Schmidt and Hemphill to score. The Spartans had their second lead of the day 8-7.
 
A leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth would knot the game at eight.
 
The Spartans pulled away in the top of the seventh with four runs. Patrick Jr. drove home DJ Schmidt with a single and advanced to third when the center fielder misplayed the ball. Patrick Jr would score on a bunt single by Soto. Yarger singled to make it first and third. Robinson singled to score Soto, then Joe Schmidt did the same with Yarger to make it 12-8.
 
MBU got their final two runs on a home run by Blane Besse in the top of the eighth. The home run was the tenth of the season for Besse, tying him with Robinson for tops on the team. The senior from Wildwood, Mo. had a home run in each of the three games of the series this weekend.
 
Relievers Greg Ryun and Landon Albers handled the pitching duties in the eighth and ninth. Caldwell got the well-deserved victory, his first of the season.
 
MBU is 32-5 on the season and hold a one game lead on Columbia College in the American Midwest Standings with a record of 13-2.
 
Next up for the Spartans is a three-game series at Spartan Baseball Field on Friday and Saturday against Lyon College. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday at 2:00 p.m. and play a single game on Saturday.