ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western baseball team bounced back on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of the second place team in the MIAA, Nebraska-Kearney. MWSU completed the sweep with a walk-off win in game two. The Griffons are now 22-17 and 15-12 in the MIAA going into the final game of the series Sunday at 1 p.m.

GAME 1: MWSU 6, Nebraska-Kearney 2

The bottom third of the Griffon order did the bulk of the damage and Banks Born gave the MWSU bullpen seven more innings of rest as the Griffons evened the series at one game each.

The Griffons used five straight, two-out hits to score five in the bottom of the second. The five run rally was capped by Ryan Degner’s three-run home run. Cody Childs got the rally started with a single, then Dylon Koch, Michael Yeager and Trevor LaHonta followed with singles that put MWSU up 2-0 with two on and two outs. That’s when Degner blasted his three-run shot down the left field line.

Born went all seven, improving to 4-1 on the year. He allowed seven hits and held Nebraska-Kearney to two runs. Koch went 3-3 and LaHonta was 2-3. Degner finished with three RBIs on his one hit.

GAME 2: MWSU 5, Nebraska-Kearney 4 (8 Innings)

Ryan Degner’s single with two out in the bottom of the eighth ended the game and finished the doubleheader sweep.

With runners on first and third Degner roped a 1-0 pitch into right field, scoring Michael Yeager and winning the game. After the first two Griffons of the inning were retired, Yeager singled to center. Trevor LaHonta followed with a single to right that moved Yeager to third before Degner’s single ended it.

MWSU had a 4-1 lead going into the sixth but Nebraska-Kearney tied it with three in the inning and chased starter A.J. Martinez from the game. Kyle Kelly pitched one inning in relief and Richard Peoples pitched the final inning and a third, picking up the win in his first action since straining his oblique in March.

Yeager finished 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Cosimo Cannella was 2-4 with one RBI and a run scored. Martinez went the first five and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, while striking out seven.

— Northwest Sports Information —