ST. LOUIS – Unlike many of the games the Missouri Baptist Spartans have been involved in this season, their doubleheader against Iowa Wesleyan University provided some suspense as the Tigers pitching was able to hold the Spartans offense mostly in check. However, despite the challenges, MBU was able to battle though to win both games on Tuesday, 5-3 in the first game and 4-1 in the second.
 
GAME ONE: MBU 5, IWU 3
The Tigers proved to be quite determined to make this a difficult day for the Spartans early, breaking out on top and holding the vaunted Spartans offense at bay until midway through the game.
 
IWU broke out to a 3-0 lead on two singles and then a three-run homer by first baseman Holvin Catala in the top of the second inning.
 
From that point forward though, the Spartans offense fell into a familiar, if sometimes frustrating, pattern. In four of the next five innings, the first two MBU batters would reach base to start an inning, with varying degrees of success at getting those runners across the plate.
 
The Spartans finally got on the board in the bottom of the third. Leadoff hitter Blane Besse walked and the next batter, Blayne Yarger, was hit by a pitch. After a strikeout, Cole Robinson then doubled to score Besse, with Yarger advancing to third with one out. Third baseman Noah Hemphill then reached on a fielder's choice that brought Yarger home to score. The Tigers were still on top, but only 3-2.
 
MBU starter Tony Caldwell was lifted after four innings, having surrendered three runs on five hits while striking out five.  He gave way to freshman Landon Albers who set the Tigers down in order in the fifth.
 
MoBap would tie the game then take the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Alex Adams singled to start the inning then moved to third on Robinson's second double of the game. Hemphill followed with a sacrifice fly to right field that brought home Adams to tie the game, with Robinson moving up to third. Kevin Watkins came on to pinch-run for Robinson. Tommy Patrick Jr. continued his hot hitting of late by singling to score Watkins and give MBU their first lead of the game, at 4-3.
 
It was all the offense they would need in this game as Albers handed the ball over to Skout Rallo to close it out over the last two innings.
 
Missouri Baptist would add another insurance tally in the bottom of the sixth. Three singles, from Besse, Yarger, and Adams, were enough to add an important fifth run in the inning with just three outs to get.
 
Rallo made the last three outs look pretty simple, with two pop outs and ground out.
 
Albers was credited with his first win of the season for his clean inning in the fifth. Rallo got the two-inning save while setting down all six batters he faced.
 
Robinson was four for four with two singles, two doubles and an RBI. Hemphill had just one hit but two RBIs.
 
The Spartans scored their five runs via 12 hits, while the Tigers has three runs on just five hits, all of them coming in the first four innings against Caldwell.
 
GAME TWO: MBU 4, IWU 1
If Game One was a tight affair complete with missed opportunities for the MBU, game two was a tight pitchers' duel. Once again, the fifth inning of the seven-inning game proved to be the difference.
 
The Spartans offense got going pretty quickly though after starting pitcher Greg Ryun set the Tigers down in order in the top of the first inning. The first three MBU batters reached base and Blayne Yarger was able to double home Cesar Soto to give the Spartans a 1-0 boost.
 
IWU wasted no time answering in the second though. A single and a double had runners at second and third with no one out. After a pop out, a run scored when Ryun was called for a balk, tying the game at one.
 
The Spartans left the bases loaded in the third without scoring before breaking through in another fateful fifth inning.
 
Making a start at shortstop, Arturo Brito lead off with a double. After Blane Besse flew out to center field to advance Brito to third with one out, Cesar Soto stepped to the plate. Needing only a sacrifice fly to give his team the lead, the second baseman from Palo Negro, Venezuela went one better. He parked a hanging curveball from the Tigers starter over the left-center field fence to give his team a 3-1 lead they would never relinquish. The home run was the second of the season for Soto. 
 
Just for good measure the Spartans tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth. Noah Hemphill walked, and Tommy Patrick Jr followed with a bunt single. Later in the inning catcher Joe Schmidt drove home Patrick with a single up the middle for the final tally of the game.
 
Making only his second start of the season, Ryun was strong in this outing. He pitched five innings allowing only a single run on five hits while walking none and striking out two. With this win to his credit, he is 2-0 on the season. Like Skout Rallo in the first game, Brady Stephan recorded the two-inning save with all zeros except for two walks.
 
MBU is now 37-5 on the year. The 37 wins is the most for the program since the 2017 team that finished 46-16. Incidentally, 2017 is the last time MBU participated in the Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series.
Today's games are the final two regular season home games for MBU as well as the final two games they will ever play against Iowa Wesleyan. It was announced earlier this Spring that IWU will be closing its doors at the end of this academic year. MBU will finish 11-2 all-time against the Tigers.
 
Incidentally, the next opponent for both teams will be the Hannibal-LaGrange University Trojans. The Tigers will play a single game, and presumably the last in the history of their school, tomorrow in Hannibal.  The Spartans will follow by playing two against the Trojans on Thursday and a single game on Friday to conclude the regular season and the American Midwest Conference schedule. MBU needs to win just one of the three games with HLGU to claim their first AMC title since they shared the top spot with Columbia College in 2017. Thursday's games begin at 1:00 p.m.