Maryville, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern Lions
snapped a 4-4 tie with two runs in the ninth inning to defeat the
Northwest Missouri State Bearcats 6-4 in the second game of a
doubleheader Tuesday afternoon (Mar. 23) in Maryville, Mo.
The Lions dropped the opener 6-5 to the Bearcats.
Caldwell started the ninth with a lead-off walk and was at
second with two outs when Joe Lincoln delivered a go-ahead, two-run
homer to right center that put the Lions up 6-4.
Garrett Groom was in a two-on, one out jam but worked out of it
by striking out Luke McCrary and enticing a fly out by Bryce
McCrary to end the threat and finish off the complete game victory.
The Lions found themselves down early in the opener as Brandon
Kirsch sparked a three-run first with a two-run homer.
Michael Zurmehly made it a one-run game by smacking his fifth
home run of the season, a two-run shot that scored Jacob Taylor.
An RBI single by Skyler Rawlins in the third tied the game
and Shayne Hoke then put the Lions on top with an RBI single in the
fifth inning.
The Bearcats scored in the bottom of the seventh to again tie
the score on an RBI single by McCrary. McCrary then
represented the go-ahead run at third with two out before Groom got
Nick Pfeiffer to fly out to CJ Matthews.
Groom settled in after the first inning and finished with nine
strikeouts and walked none.
The Lions (8-15, 6-10 MIAA) lost the opener in
heartbreaking fashion as they trailed 5-3 after four innings but
battled back to tie the score with a run in the fifth and sixth
innings.
Caldwell led off the fifth with a double and later scored on an
RBI single by Lincoln that made it a one-run game.
The Lions then plated an unearned tally in the sixth inning that
evened the score at 5-5.
But Kirsch produced the eventual winning run for the
Bearcats (4-19, 2-18 MIAA) by leading off the bottom of the sixth
with his second homer of the game and third of the doubleheader.
Chris Green sat the Lions down in order in the seventh to
complete the victory for the Bearcats.
Green lasted the full seven innings with four earned runs
allowed and four strikeouts.
Kirsch also hit a grand slam in the Bearcats four-run third
to drive in five of the Bearcats six runs.
The Lions will finish the four-game set with the Bearcats with
another doubleheader tomorrow (Mar. 24) beginning at
noon.
The Lions were slated to play at Drury on Thursday
afternoon (Mar. 25), but the game has been cancelled due
to the weather-related changes with the series at Northwest
Missouri.
