Joplin, Mo. – Cole Woods tossed six innings and Nate Mieszkowski paced the Lions offense which plated 12 runs as Missouri Southern (8-2) topped McKendree (0-4) 12-2 in eight innings to open the MSSU Invitational Friday, February 17. The #21 Lions battle #10 Illinois Springfield Saturday, February 18 at 1 p.m. at Warren Turner Field.Â
How it Happened
Woods (2-0) tossed three scoreless frames to open the game, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the third with back-to-back strikeouts to end the Bearcats threat.Â
McKendree plated the first run of the game in the top of the fourth with a two-out triple to open the scoring between the two teams.Â
The Lions answered right back with a four-run fourth to take a 4-1 lead. Ethan Clark singled to lead off the inning. Clark stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Following a Will Doherty walk, Clark scored on a dropped third strike that got away from the Bearcat catcher.Â
Chayton Beck kept the inning rolling with a single and Nate Mieszkowski launched his second home run of the season over the left field wall to cap the four-run frame.Â
A solo homer in the top of the fifth cut the Lions lead to 4-2 but Woods allowed no further damage in the remainder of the fifth and tossed a scoreless sixth.Â
With two on in the bottom of the sixth, Mieszkowski singled home his fourth RBI of the game to give the Lions a 5-2 lead. Southern plated two more runs in the inning to push the lead to 7-2.Â
Another three-run inning in the bottom of the seventh extended the lead to 10-2 for Missouri Southern.Â
The Lions bullpen worked a pair of scoreless inning in the seventh and the eighth in relief of Woods as Brandon Overman and Jacob Davis struck out four of the six outs needs to hold McKendree at bay.Â
Henry Kusiak singled with one out in the bottom of the eighth followed by a Case Tucker walk. Clark completed a 4-5 day at the plate with a two-RBI double to score Kusiak and Tucker to give the Lions a 12-2 lead with the 10-run rule.Â
Notable Stats
Nate Mieszkowski – 3-4, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Ethan Clark – 4-5, 2 R, 2 RBI
Cole Woods (2-0), 6 IP, 8 Ks, 2 ER
Next UpÂ
#10 Illinois Springfield – 1 p.m. – Warren Turner FieldÂ
