Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern baseball team scored six runs over the final three innings, but the Lions couldn't complete the comeback and fell 11-9 today to Missouri Western at Warren Turner Field on Senior Day.
Southern (27-21, 16-16 MIAA) got a big day at the plate from
Matt Miller as he went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, five RBIs and two runs scored. Miller's homer is his 15
th this season and ranks seventh in a single-season at Southern, while his 35 career home runs move him past Jesse Rall for second all-time in MSSU history.
Drew Davis went 3-for-5 today, while
Case Tucker and
Nate Mieszkowski scored a pair of runs.
Treghan Parker had a homer, driving in a pair and scoring twice.
Cole Woods started and went four innings, while
Cale McCallister,
Ryan Paschal,
Chase Beiter and
Scott Duensing threw in relief.
Western (13-31, 9-23 MIAA) got three RBIs from Brenden Andersen, while three different Griffons had three hits each.
The Lions got on board first on an RBI double from
Tommy Stevenson, scoring
Matt Miller. Western tied the score with a run in the second, before Miller put the Lions back on top 2-1 with an RBI single, scoring Tucker in the third.
The Griffons then scored a run in the fourth to tie it at two, before adding six runs in the fifth to break the game open and lead 8-2 heading to the bottom half of the inning.
Kusiak had an RBI double to score Mieszkowski in the fifth, but the Griffons got a run back in the sixth to lead 10-3 after six.
Southern then went to work and got a three-run blast from Miller in the seventh to get within four (10-6) and then Miller singled home Parker in the eighth to make it a 10-7 game heading to the ninth.
Western added an insurance run in the ninth and the Lions weren't done. Parker homered to right center to score Ferguson and get the Lions within two (11-9) and the Lions had the winning run at the plate, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Both teams will be back at it tomorrow as Southern closes out the regular season with a 1 pm first-pitch from Warren Turner Field.