ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western Baseball scored 27 runs and swept a doubleheader from Lincoln Saturday. The wins moved the Griffons to 9-5 on the year and 6-1 in MIAA play.

Game 1: Lincoln 0, MWSU 15
Griffon Baseball’s offense picked up where they left off in a 15-0 win over Lincoln in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader. The offensive explosion was highlighted by a six-run fifth inning from Missouri Western that included a grand slam by Ryan Degner.

The Griffons scored in each inning of the game and got hits from all but one starter. Through the first 14 innings of the four-game series with Lincoln, MWSU has outscored the Blue Tigers 32-2 and head into game two of the doubleheader with a 5-1 record in MIAA play.

Degner finished game 2-5 with four RBIs. Mitch Thorman went 2-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. David Glaude was 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Josh Lansangan picked up the win, going four innings and allowing two hits, while striking out three. Lansangan moved to 1-2 on the year.

Game 2: Lincoln 3, MWSU 12
Missouri Western broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth with seven runs to add on to an impressive weekend at the plate. The Griffons added two more in the sixth to win 12-3 and end the day with 27 runs scored and 44 runs through the first three games of the series.

Cody Childs broke the tie in the fifth with an RBI single. MWSU went up 5-3 when Trevor LaHonta reached on fielder’s choice and an error by the shortstop allowed Childs to score. Degner followed with an RBI double to right that put the Griffons up 6-3. Mitch Thorman made it 9-3 with a three-run home run, his second of the day, and Dave Glaude’s RBI single capped off the seven-run inning that saw MWSU score six with two outs.

Degner went 4-5 in game with three RBIs and two runs scored. Thorman was 2-5 with four RBIs and a run scored. Degner went 6-10 on the day with seven driven in and four runs scored.Thorman finished day-two, 4-7 at the plate with seven RBIs and four runs scored. Richard Peoples picked up his third win of the season in game two, going an inning and two thirds.

The Griffons are now 9-5 overall and 5-1 in MIAA play headed into the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —

By David Boyce

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A little over 2 minutes left and the game tied, Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball saw its goal of winning the MIAA Tournament slowly disappear on a three-point bomb by Pittsburg State junior Trey Starks.

“With the shot clock running down, that was a dagger,” Pittsburg State coach Kevin Muff said.

A minute later, Trevor Gregory grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in, giving the Gorillas a five-point lead.

“That was a tough one,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said.

Those two plays gave Pittsburg State a five-point lead with 1:23 left. The Bearcats never recovered and lost for the first time in 11 games, falling 65-58 to Pittsburg State Saturday afternoon in the MIAA semifinals at Municipal Auditorium.

“Obviously, a shot like that is going to affect us, but I told the guys to keep believing and keep fighting no matter what happens,” said Northwest senior Grant Cozad. “It was a hard fought game. I wish we could have had it.”

Despite the disappointment of the loss, Northwest, 23-6, has plenty to play for next weekend. The Bearcats will likely receive a bid into the NCAA Division II tournament and play in the Central regional.

“We will start focusing on it as soon as possible,” said junior Conner Crooker, who finished with 15. “We fought hard. We just have to move on.”

For the Gorillas, 19-11, they probably have to win the MIAA Tournament to reach regional. They definitely played with that type of urgency against Northwest.

“Our team persevered in a roller coaster type of game,” Muff said. “Our players responded well, probably against the best coached team in the conference as far as executing what they do.”

Even with the five-point lead and 83 seconds left, Pittsburg needed to hit its free throws down the stretch to secure the win. The Gorillas did, going 8-for-8.

The game was so closely contested that two plays made all the difference. There were seven lead changes and eight times the game was tied.

“We had a good game plan and got the looks we wanted,” McCollum said.

The last tie came with 4:21 on a three-pointer by Crooker. Northwest, though, struggled from beyond the arc, going 5 for 18.

Over the next few minutes, defense ruled until Starks hit the trey with 2:30 left that spurred Pittsburg to victory.

“It is not what we designed,” Muff said. “Sometimes you have to go and make a play.”

Freshman Justin Pitts led Northwest with 23 points.

Northwest went into halftime with a slim 28-26 lead. The first half had the intensity of the final 20 minutes of a national championship game. Nearly every basket was contested, but the Gorillas still shot 50 percent from the field and Northwest 45 percent.

The Gorillas took the early lead at 10-6. Over the next 7 minutes, Northwest clawed to an 18-13 lead. The Bearcats maintained a narrow lead the rest of the first half

— MIAA Press Release —