FAYETTE, Mo. – The Missouri Baptist Spartans had an up and down day on Friday finishing with a 5-0 victory over Olivet Nazarene University, then suffering a defeat to No. 22-ranked Central Methodist University 10-2 later in the day.
GAME ONE: MBU 5, Olivet Nazarene 0
The Spartans got dominant pitching and just enough timely hitting to beat the ONU Tigers 5-0 in their first game of the day. MBU starter
Teague Robertson continued his torrid start by going the distance in the seven-inning game to raise his record to 2-0 on the season. The junior from Columbia, Mo. needed only 76 pitches for the complete game as he scattered eight hits while striking out two and not issuing a walk. He only had a runner reach third base in the fourth and fifth innings but was able to work out of it without any damage.
Meanwhile,
Blayne Yarger supplied some early offense until his teammates could help out later to secure the win. The Rolla, Mo. native went deep with one out in the first inning to put the Spartans on the board first. The home run was the second of the season for Yarger and was the only offense for either team until the top of the sixth.
Yarger effectively got the sixth inning rally started too, as the Spartans added four runs via some "small ball." After reaching on a fielder's choice on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt, Yarger advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Alex Adams gave the Spartans another runner with a single to center then both runners executed a double steal to put runners at second and third with one out for the cleanup hitter
Cole Robinson. The reigning AMC Player of the Week singled to center plating both runners to increase the MBU lead to 3-0. Robinson moved to second on a
Jakob Kouneski single. Not known for their speed on the basepaths, Robinson and Kouneski pulled off an unlikely double steal, the Spartans' second of the inning.
Cameron Roll scored Robinson and moved Kouneski to third with an infield single. Then
DJ Schmidt executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to the third basemen to bring home Kouneski for the final run, making it 5-0 in favor of MBU. The Spartans scored four runs on four hits, all singles, with four stolen bases in the inning.
GAME TWO: CMU 10, MBU 2
The second game of the day was a replica of the first, with the roles reversed. CMU starter Sebastian Escobar dazzled across six innings of work, holding the vaunted MBU offense to just four hits and one run, with two walks and 11 punch outs. The single run he surrendered scored on a wild pitch in the sixth inning. By that time his Eagles teammates had built a 6-1 lead for him.
The Eagles chased Spartan starter
Greg Ryun after four and a third innings, tagging him with five runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts.
Brady Stephan,
Spencer Smith, and
Will Casel followed him to the bump but none were able to stop the offensive onslaught from CMU.
Immediately after the Spartans got on the board in the top of the sixth, CMU was able to tack on another four runs to effectively put the game out of reach. The final was 10-2 in favor of the home team.
In a game with so little offense for MBU, fifth-year player
Alex Adams still stood out, going three for four with an RBI and a run scored.
With the split the Spartans stand at eight wins and four losses on the season. They will play two more games in Fayette, Mo. on Saturday, taking on (RV) Oklahoma City University at 10:30 a.m. followed by No. 13-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene University at 1:30 p.m.
