JOPLIN, Mo. — Missouri Southern baseball (15-10, 10-5 MIAA) secured a 10–8 victory over Fort Hays (9-17, 6-10 MIAA) in a 10-inning contest Saturday at Warren Turner Field. MSSU capitalized on three home runs and five doubles, while FHSU managed 12 hits in the close matchup.
In a tense extra-inning contest, Missouri Southern secured the walk-off victory in the 10th inning with a two-run homer by
Brayden Luikart.
Will Potter drew a walk to set the stage, and Luikart delivered the decisive blow with a drive to right field, sealing the game.
With the victory, MSSU improves to 15-10 overall following its sixth consecutive win. The Lions are now 10-5 in MIAA conference action.
Southern also secured the MIAA series win over FHSU. The Lions and Fort Hays will wrap the three-game set Sunday at 1 p.m., CT at Warren Turner Field.
Earlier in the game Saturday, the Lions built a commanding lead in the fifth inning, sparked by a solo home run from
Will Doherty and a two-run double by Potter. However, Fort Hays mounted a comeback in the eighth, scoring four runs to tie the game.
Despite the pressure, MSSU capitalized on free bases and timely hitting throughout the game. The Lions remained composed under pressure, ultimately reclaiming momentum with Luikart's late-game heroics to secure the win in extra innings.
Southern and Fort Hays exchanged two-run innings in the first, with Luikart doubling and scoring on a
Blake Jones double, followed by Doherty scoring on
Ethan Clark's sacrifice fly. The score was tied 2–2 after one inning.
In the fourth, the Lions took a 3–2 lead when
Jason Lazo hit a solo home run to right center.
The fifth inning saw Missouri Southern extend its lead by four runs. Doherty led off with a home run, and later in the inning, Potter doubled to bring in two more runs. The score was 7–2 in favor of MSSU after five innings.
Fort Hays cut the lead to 7–3 in the sixth with an RBI double from Antonio Avila. The seventh inning saw the Tigers add another run through a sacrifice fly, cutting the MSSU edge to 7–4.
Fort Hays surged ahead in the eighth inning, scoring four runs, including a two-RBI single by Tony Moore. The inning ended with FHSU leading 8–7.
In the ninth, Southern tied the game at 8–8 when
Jacob Filip doubled to right field, scoring pinch runner
Cole Adair.
In the 10th inning, Luikart hit a two-run homer to right field, securing a 10–8 victory for the Lions over Fort Hays.
Luikart contributed significantly by scoring two runs and driving in two with a home run and a double.
Doherty tallied two runs and added a home run to his two hits over the game. With his two hits Saturday, he now has 200 career hits.
Potter drove in two runs with two doubles, enhancing his team's offensive efforts. Lazo recorded a home run while also adding one hit and one run scored.
Michael Mulhollon delivered a solid performance, pitching four innings with three strikeouts and allowing two earned runs on three hits.
Carter Stover followed, contributing 2 2/3 innings, striking out two batters, and allowing two earned runs on three hits, with a WHIP of 2.27.
Luke Beverlin faced challenges, pitching just 1/3 inning and yielding two earned runs on two hits.
Jackson Gamble earned the win, his first of the season, by closing the final three innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and securing two strikeouts.
MSSU wraps its weekend series with Fort Hays on Sunday. First pitch is 1 p.m., CT at Warren Turner Field.
Arvest Bank is the season-presenting sponsor for Missouri Southern baseball.
