ST. JOSEPH – Buzz Verduzco became Missouri Western baseball’s all-time wins leader on Casey Danley’s walk-off single Friday at the Spring Sports Complex.

Danley’s only hit of the game gave the Griffons (8-9, 1-3) a 2-1 win over Washburn (6-11, 1-6) and Verduzco his program-best 541st wiv. Verduzco passed the only other man to ever lead the program, Doug Minnis.

Verduzco got the milestone victory in appropriate fashion. Known for his small-ball methods, the Griffons earned their first conference win of the season with six hits, only one for extra bases. Maurice Bruce led off the ninth with a single to center. Brooks Day bunted Bruce to second before Washburn intentionally walked Dusty Stroup. A passed ball got Bruce to third and Stroup to second before Danley bounced a 2-2 pitch through the middle for the game winner.

NOTABLES
– Stroup went 2-for-3, the only Griff with more than one hit. His double was the team’s only extra base hit.

– Nate Hunter picked up his second-straight win in relief, going 1 1/3 of perfect baseball with two strikeouts

– Trever Carroll got his first career start, allowing just one hit and no runs. He walked three and struck out one.

– Fahd Shakeel drove in the Griffons’ first run in the third and threw out what would have been Washburn’s first run at the plate from left field in the sixth

– Carroll’s three walks were the only free passes allowed by the Griffons who went without an error in the game

– The teams totaled 10 hits, four walks and no errors in a game that lasted 1:55

UP NEXT
Game two of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 10.

— MWSU Athletics —