BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Missouri Western baseball team stayed offensive in sweeping a doubleheader at Southwest Baptist on Friday. The pair of wins clinched the series for MWSU, three games to one. It’s the first time the team took a series on the road since winning three of four at Emporia State in February.
GAME 1: MWSU 9, SBU 6
Banks Born picked up his fifth win, Richard Peoples earned his fifth save and the Griffon bats stayed hot in a 9-6 win in the first game of the day. Missouri Western got home runs from Ryan Degner and Trevor LaHonta and got two insurance runs in the top of the seventh to help preserve the win.
MWSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first but SBU got one in the bottom frame. Degner’s solo shot in the second inning put MWSU up 4-1. Southwest Baptist pulled within one after the third with two runs in the inning but the Griffons stretched their lead again with three in the fourth. A Christian Binger three-run home run in the sixth pulled the Bearcats back within one. LaHonta’s two-run home run gave Peoples the cushion he needed to complete his fifth save of the season.
Degner finished 3-4 with three runs and an RBI. LaHonta was also 3-4 with two driven in and two runs scored. Cosimo Cannella and David Glaude each drove in a pair with one hit apiece.
GAME 2: MWSU 8, SBU 6
Second verse much like the first only this time it was Southwest Baptist getting an early lead, Missouri Western catching up and the Griffons eventually holding on for the victory.
SBU got one in the first and one in the second then MWSU tied it at two in the third with RBI singles from Orencio Fisher and Cody Childs. SBU jumped back ahead in the fifth with two more runs before the Griffs plated five in the top of the sixth that included a solo home run by Cosimo Cannella. SBU scored two more in their half of the sixth to pull within one, 7-6, but another RBI single from Childs in the ninth provided some insurance for MWSU.
Matt Russell went the final three and a third innings to get the win for MWSU. Russell did not allow a hit and struck out two. Grant Woods went the first four innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Josh Lansangan lasted just a third of an inning in relief, giving up two runs on three hits. Weston Caindec gave up two runs on two hits while recording just two outs. Fisher was 3-4 with two RBIs, while Dylon Kock, Brandon Downs and D’Andre Heggie each picked up two hits in game two.
Missouri Western improved to 26-18 overall and 19-13 in the MIAA. The Griffons will host Northwest Missouri State in the team’s final series of the regular season, next weekend.
— MWSU Sports Information —