Bolivar, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern baseball team finished off a four-game sweep of Southwest Baptist today, taking both ends of a double-header, winning 13-6 in the opener and 23-4 in the finale.
Southern (22-24, 18-22 MIAA) scores the most runs in a game (23) since a 28-10 win over Lincoln in 2001.
The Lions used a big fifth inning in game one as Southern trailed 6-3 going into the fifth, but scored eight runs in the frame. Home runs from Patrick Deao and CJ Matthews in the inning highlighted the Lions batting around and Deao had a pair of hits in the inning.
Southern would add two more insurance runs in the seventh as Deao added a two RBI double.
Ryan Wheat started for Southern and went two and two thirds of an inning, allowing two earned runs, before giving way to David Reese. Reese went another two thirds of an inning and allowed two runs, before Austin Brown threw the final three and two thirds of an inning, striking out four and walking none, while he scattered four hits and held the Bearcats scoreless for the win.
Deao 3-5 with five RBIs and a run scored, while Matthews drove in three and scored twice. Harrison Gerber was 3-5 with a pair of runs and two driven in, while Tee Helsel and Fernando Lugo scored three and two times, respectively.
Southern scored at least two runs in every inning in game two, winning 23-4 after invoking the mercy rule after seven innings. The Lions scored three in the first on RBIs from Dallas Burke, Deao and Helsel. Burke homered in the second, scoring Jim Gilkerson, while the Lions added another three in the third on RBIs from Cullen Baxter and Gilkerson.
Southern would score seven runs over the next three ininngs, before breaking out for eight runs in the seventh, including a grand slam for Ben Millard.
Millard and Burke both drove in five runs in the game, as Burke was 4-5 with four runs scored and Millard went 2-2 with a pair of runs and added a triple, as well. Dane Kolkmeyer, Jesse Kinzey and Gilkerson had three hits each with Gilkerson and Kinzey drivin in two and Kolkmeyer scoring three times.
Tyler Jinks started for the Lions and picked up the win, going five innings and striking out three, while allowing just four runs. Ryan Taylor and Kyle Coatney pitched a scoreless inning each.
The Lions will be back in action next weekend with four games at Fort Hays State.
