O'FALLON, Mo. – The Central Baptist University Mustangs sent eight men across the plate in the final two innings to beat the Missouri Baptist University Spartans 11-7 on Thursday and force a winner-take-all championship matchup on Friday at Noon at Carshield Field in O'Fallon, Mo.
 
The Spartans offense staked starting pitcher Jackson Wells to an early lead when they pushed three runs across in the bottom of the second inning. A Jakob Kouneski double, a Cameron Roll walk, and a Jayden Orozco single brought Lucas Lefebvre to the plate with no one out. The junior from Coquitlam, British Columbia drove a single to right field to score pinch-runner DJ Schmidt and Roll with the first two runs. Cesar Soto then grounded into a double play, but that allowed Orozco to come home with run number three.
 
Spartans' starting pitcher Jackson Wells appeared to be on cruise control as after giving up a single to start the game, he didn't allow another base knock until the sixth. It was at that time, the third time through the batting order, that the Mustangs were able to even the score at three. Much of the damage was the result of walks and wild pitches. The inning started with a walk, a wild pitch, and two singles to load the bases. Wells was able to coax a strikeout for the first out, but then uncorked a second wild pitch to allow the first run to score. The next batter delivered a two-run single to tie the game. The damage might have been worse if not for a great defensive play by Blayne Yarger. With two outs, Anthony Caldwell come on to relieve Wells and the first batter he faced lined a single to center. Yarger threw a bullet to the plate to nail a runner who was trying to score from second. The outstanding defensive play to end the inning meant the game stayed locked at three heading to the bottom of the sixth.
 
The Spartans used that momentum to regain their second lead in the bottom of the inning. Yarger led off by reaching on an error, then moved to third on an Alex Adams double. Cole Robinson dropped a soft liner perfectly over the outstretched glove of the CBC first baseman to bring home both base runners and the Spartans had regained the lead, five to three.
 
After Caldwell set the Mustangs down in order in the seventh, the real trouble began for the Spartans in the eighth. Caldwell and two more relievers combined to give up eight runs on five hits with six walks and one strikeout over the final two frames. CBC scored three runs on three hits with three walks and a hit batter in the eight to regain a 6-5 lead. Down by a run, the Spartans left the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth.
 
The top of the ninth got underway for CBC with a walk but Spartans pitcher Brady Stephan was able to get a couple of ground outs to have a runner at third and two outs with the deficit still as just one run. But the Mustangs wanted more. A single brought home the runner from third, followed by another walk. Sean Keane came on to pitch for MBU and walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. The next batter continued the two-out rally with the biggest hit of the game, a grand slam into the Spartans bullpen in right-center field. The Mustangs scored five runs with two outs and led 11-5 heading into the Spartans last at bat.
 
To their credit, the Spartans took good at bats and strung together four hits and a sacrifice fly to bring home two runs to make the final score 11 to seven. The tying run never made it closer than the on-deck circle.
 
The loss on Thursday means the two teams will effectively play the rubber match of a three-game series on Friday at Noon. After beating Williams Baptist University (Ark.) on Tuesday evening, MBU beat CBC 4-3 on Wednesday. With Friday's game, three of the four games the Spartans have played in the AMC Baseball Championship Tournament will have been against the Mustangs.
 
Counting the regular season and now post-season, the Spartans are 21-3 against AMC opponents. Two of their three losses have come against CBC. MBU still holds a 3-2 advantage in the season series
 
The winner of Friday's game will earn the AMC's designated automatic bid into the NAIA Baseball National Tournament.