The Missouri Western baseball team (4-3) used some dramatics and a strong dose of offense to sweep the day two double header from Nebraska-Kearney.
Game 1: MWSU 3, UNK 2
Pinch hitter Bubba Dotson hit a walk off double in the bottom of the seventh scoring Michael Schulze from third and Shawn Egge from first giving Western a 3-2 come from behind victory over the Lopers. Schulze led off the inning with a doulbe and then advanced to third on a bunt single by Egge setting up Dotson’s heroics.
Things looked good for the Griffons in the first getting singles by Egge and David Chew. Unfortunatley they would be stranded on base. The Lopers scored the frist run of the game in the fourth when Erik Montes homered to left field off Griffon pitcher Nik Jurado.
Western left three more runners on in the fourth and one in the fifth before Western got on the board. Nate Ramler led off the sixth innning with his second home run off the season tying the score at one. Jurado got out of a jam in the seventh and got the win with the walk off. Jurado went all seven giving up one earned run and four hits while striking out four. He improves to 1-0 on the season.
The Lopers had four hits with Eric Ringblom getting two. Mike Nowak started the game going 4.1 innings with two hits while walking five. Mike Loseke pitched 1.2 innings in relief giving up five hits and three earned runs. Loseke falls to 0-2 with the loss.
Game 2: MWSU 12, UNK 5
After falling behind 1-0 in the second inning, the Griffons scored three runs each in the third, fifth and sixth innings on the way to a 12-5 drubbing of the Lopers. Western added two more in the seventh and one in the eighth.
A Jake Graham double in the fourth brought Bubba Dotson and Nate Ramler in to put the Griffons up for good. Grant Fink’s Double Bubble double in the fifth plated Michael Schulze and Shawn Egge.
Spencer Shockley led off the Griffon seventh with an inside the park home run to left-center field after Alex Miller’s foot got caught under the fence in center field. Five of Western’s 12 hits were doubles and eight of 12 runs were earned.
Mason Queen (1-0) picked up the win for Western, going 5 1/3 with seven hits allowed and two runs. Queen struck out three, walked none, but did hit two Loper batters. Logan Hollingsworth surrendered two earned runs on four hits in relief of Queen. Jake Jones relieved Hollinsworth and allowed two hits and an unearned run in 3 2/3 innings of work.
Kyle Simpson finished 3-5 with two RBI, Graham, Fink and Ramler added two RBI’s each.
Western hits the road next week for an early test in the MIAA. The Griffons land in Warrensburg to face off with No. 3 Central Missouri. The Griffons and Mules will play one Friday, March 2, a double-header on Saturday and close the series with one game on Sunday.
— MWSU Sports Information —