Joplin, Mo. – The No. 8 seed Missouri Southern baseball team faced off against No. 9 seed Emporia State in the opening round of the 2025 MIAA Baseball Championship on Wednesday, May 7. The Lions struck first with a two-run home run and, despite the score being tied twice in the seventh and top of the eighth innings, Southern broke the game open with a four-run inning to seize control and secure a 7–3 victory.
No. 8 Missouri Southern (27-23) | No. 9 seed Emporia State (23-25)
The Lions took an early lead in the first inning, with
Drew Townsend singling to right field.
Brayden Luikart followed with a two-run homer to right field, putting the Lions ahead 2-0.
The Hornets responded in the third inning with a run, narrowing the score to 2-1.
In the seventh inning, Emporia State added another run, bringing the score to 2-2. Southern answered back in the bottom half with a solo home run by
Chayton Beck, restoring the lead at 3-2.
The score evened in the eighth inning with a Hornets run, 3-3. The Lions pulled away in the bottom of the eighth inning as
Nate Mieszkowski, who was hit by a pitch, scored on a bunt single by
Treghan Parker.
Blake Jones then launched a three-run homer to left field, extending the lead to 7-3.
Southern maintained their lead, securing a 7-3 victory and moving on to the quarterfinals.
Blake Jones recorded three hits, including a double and a home run, and drove in three runs.
Brayden Luikart contributed two hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs.
Chayton Beck also added a home run, an RBI, and a walk. The Lions tallied 10 hits.
Kyle Moore delivered a solid performance for the Lions, pitching 7.0 innings, struck out five batters, and walked two.
Laif Hultine pitched 2.0 innings with a strike, and no walks were allowed.
Stats Tracker
- Hits: Blake Jones (3), Drew Townsend (2), Brayden Luikart (2), Jacob Filip (1), Treghan Parker (1), Chayton Beck (1)
- RBI: Blake Jones (3), Brayden Luikart (2), Treghan Parker (1), Chayton Beck (1)
- 2B: Blake Jones (1)
- HR: Brayden Luikart (1), Blake Jones (1), Chayton Beck (1)
- SH: Ethan Clark (1)
- HBP: Nate Mieszkowski (1)
- Pitching:
- Kyle Moore: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
- Laif Hultine (W, 6–1): 2.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Up Next:
The Lions advance to the 2025 MIAA Baseball Championship quarterfinals, where they will face the No. 1 seed University of Central Missouri Mules on Thursday, May 8. First pitch is set for 12:00 PM.
The Missouri Southern baseball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
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