Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – The Missouri Southern baseball team dropped two games today as the Lions fell 17-10 in game one and 7-3 in game two at Nova Southeastern to conclude their four-game trip to the state of Florida.
Southern (3-5) saw the bats come alive in the opener as the Lions scored seven runs in the fourth inning and hit three home runs in the game.
Tyler Ferguson went 2-for-4 with a grand slam, while
Ryan Doran was 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored.
Nate Mieszkowski had a pinch-hit two-run homer, while
Tommy Stevenson and
Clay Milas drove in a run each.
Henry Kusiak, Milas, Stevenson and Parker had a run each.
In game one,
Chase Beiter started and went three innings.
Laif Hultine threw two innings and struck out two, while
Cale McCallister,
Scott Duensing,
Ryan Paschal,
Jeremiah Kennedy,
Jacob Davis,
Eli Stoops and
Blake McPhee threw as well.
Nova Southeastern (6-0) got a run in the first and three in the third, before the Lions opened up their scoring in the top-half of the fourth. Southern pushed across seven runs in the inning highlighted by Ferguson's grand slam.
The Sharks, however, answered right back and scored three runs in the fourth and two each in the fifth and sixth to go up 11-7. The Lions got home runs from Doran and Mieszkowski in the seventh to get within a run at 11-10, but NSU scored six more in the eighth to put the game away.
Game two saw NSU score a run in the fourth and two in the fifth before the Lions got a run in the top of the sixth on an RBI from Milas.
Nova answered back with four in the bottom half of the inning before the Lions got two runs in the top of the seventh on RBIs from
Jordan Fitzpatrick and Kusiak, but Southern couldn't complete the comeback.
Fitzpatrick and Milas had a pair of hits each in the second game with each driving in a run, while Kusiak picked up the other RBI.
Cole Woods started for the Lions in the nightcap and went four and a third, striking out six. Davis, Duensing and
Chayton Beck threw in relief for the Lions.
Southern will be back at it next weekend as the Lions play host to the MIAA/GLVC Challenge inside Warren Turner Field on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
