ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Despite what the scoreboard said, the Missouri Western and Missouri Southern football teams did not play a spring game at the Griffon Baseball Field. Instead it was a 20-16 win for No. 17 Missouri Southern baseball over Missouri Western that clinched the series for the Lions, three games to one.
The teams combined for 36 runs, 36 hits, 11 doubles, five home runs and four errors in a game that seemed to be headed for a run-rule in favor of Missouri Southern. Five runs from the Griffons in the fifth and five more in the seventh prolonged the game that lasted three hours. Missouri Southern jumped out to a 7-0 lead after four in the second and three in the top of the third. The Griffs added one in the bottom of the third, but two more from Southern in the fourth started a run of multi-run innings.
Griffon starter Grant Woods was chased after the second. He allowed four runs on four hits, striking out two and walking two. In the game, Missouri Western pitchers walked 13 Lion batters and hit two. Down 15-2 going into the bottom of fifth, MWSU scored five to pull within eight. Mitch Thorman got the scoring going in the inning with an RBI single that bought Trevor LaHonta home. Cosimo Cannella drove in two with a single through the left side and David Glaude put the fourth and fifth runs of the inning on the board with a two-run home run down the right field line.
The Griffons pulled within four at 16-12 in the seventh on an RBI double by Cannella and back-to-back home runs from Matt Russell and Corbin Duffy. The Griffons added one more in the eighth and three in the ninth but it was too little to late as Missouri Southern had built a 20-13 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
Glaude finished 3-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. LaHonta was 3-5 with two RBIs and a runs scored. Woods took the loss as the first of seven pitchers used by the Griffons. The loss dropped MWSU to 18-12 on the year and 12-8 in the MIAA. The team plays next at Fort Hays, playing a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday.
— MWSU Sports Information —