Springfield, Ill.- The Missouri Southern baseball team hit the road for a four-game series against the University of Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars in a non-conference matchup. The Lions battled back from an early deficit, and a six-run inning put them in the lead. Southern held its advantage and took the 13-12 win.

Nate Mieszkowski hit a career milestone, recording his 258th hit. This milestone places him at No.2 on MSSU's all-time career hits list, passing David Fischer's mark of 257.
 
Missouri Southern (22-18, 14-12 MIAA) | University of Illinois - Springfield (24-11, 21-10 GLVC)
The Prairie Stars took an early lead in the first inning, 2-0.
 
The third inning saw Southern get on the board when Cy Darnell tripled and scored on a groundout by Brayden Luikart, bringing the score to 2-1. Illinois – Springfield answered in the bottom of the inning and out the score at 3-1.
 
Nate Mieszkowski singled and was driven home by Jake Leeker's double, tying the game at 2-2 in the fourth inning. The Prairies Stars plated one, 4-2, in the bottom of the inning.
 
Southern took control in the fifth inning with six runs, kicked off by Blake Jones' solo home run, followed by RBI Singles from Ethan Clark and Jake Leekers. The inning was capped by a Cy Darnell three-run homer and pushed their lead to 8-4. The Prairie Stars added one run to make it 8-5.
 
In the sixth inning, Southern extended the lead with two more runs, as Nate Mieszkowski doubled and scored on a wild pitch, followed by Ethan Clark's sacrifice fly, increasing the lead to 10-5. The Prairie Stars matched with two runs of their own, keeping the game competitive at 10-7.
 
The Lions added three runs in the eighth innings, with Drew Townsend hitting a solo home run and Nate Mieszkowski scoring on a hit-by-pitch, followed by Brayden Luikart's fielder's choice RBI, extending the lead to 13-8. The Prairie Stars fought back, narrowing the gap to 13-11.
 
In the ninth, the Prairie Stars added two runs, and Southern secured a 13-12 victory.
 
Drew Townsend scored three runs and hit a home run. Cy Darnell stood out with three hits, including a home run and a triple, driving in four runs and scoring two. Ethan Clark collected two hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored. The Lions tallied 15 hits.
 
Owen Schneider pitched 3.2 innings, striking out four and facing 18 batters. Laif Hultine contributed 2.1 innings, recording three strikeouts. Walker Sweet added 1.2 innings of relief with three strikeouts. Cole White and Kyle Kaempf pitched 0.1 innings inning of work. Michael Moore closed the game with 0.2 innings, allowing one hit but no runs, earning a save.
 
Stats Tracker

• Hits: Nate Mieszkowski (3), Cy Darnell (3), Drew Townsend (2), Ethan Clark (2), Jake Leeker (2), Brayden Luikart (1), Jacob Filip (1), Blake Jones (1)
• RBI: Cy Darnell (4), Brayden Luikart (2), Ethan Clark (2), Jake Leeker (2), Blake Jones (1), Drew Townsend (1)
• 2B: Nate Mieszkowski (1), Jake Leeker (1)
• 3B: Cy Darnell (1)
• HR: Blake Jones (1), Drew Townsend (1), Cy Darnell (1)
• SF: Ethan Clark (1)
• SB: Brayden Luikart (1)
• HBP: Jacob Filip (2), Ethan Clark (1), Cy Darnell (1)
• Pitching:
  • Owen Schneider: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
  • Laif Hultine (W, 4–1): 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
  • Walker Sweet: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
  • Cole White: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO
  • Kyle Kaempf: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
  • Michael Moore (S, 1): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

 
Up Next:
The Lions will take to their home field on Thursday, April 17, when they take on the University of Central Missouri Mules. First pitch is set for 5:00 PM at Warren Turner Field.
 
The Missouri Southern baseball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
   
  Read Full Article