JOPLIN, Mo. — Missouri Southern baseball (16-10, 11-5 MIAA) secured a decisive 12–4 victory over Fort Hays (9-18, 6-11 MIAA) on Sunday at Warren Turner Field.
The Lions were powered by a trio of home runs and a strong offensive display, accumulating 10 hits and 11 RBI in the game.
With the victory, MSSU improves to 16-10 overall following its seventh consecutive win. The Lions are now 11-5 in MIAA conference action following their sweep of FHSU.
The action began in the third inning when Fort Hays took a 2–0 lead with a two-RBI double by Erick Ordonez.
Missouri Southern responded strongly in the fourth inning.
Will Doherty hit a solo home run, and
Blake Jones followed with another solo shot, leveling the score.
Jacob Filip and
Cy Darnell then singled, setting the stage for Darnell to score on a double steal.
Ethan Clark added to the tally with an RBI triple, giving Southern a 4–2 lead at the end of the fourth.
In the fifth inning, Fort Hays managed an unearned run to make it 4–3. MSSU quickly extended its lead with
Brayden Luikart scoring on a hit-by-pitch RBI, followed by RBIs from Clark and
Jake Leeker. The score was 7–3 through five innings.
Southern continued its offensive momentum in the sixth inning. Darnell delivered a bases-clearing triple, and Clark followed with an RBI double, pushing the lead to 11–3. Fort Hays scored an unearned run in the seventh, but the Lions responded with a solo home run from Luikart, bringing the score to 12–4.
The eighth and ninth innings remained scoreless for both teams, and Missouri Southern closed out the game with a strong defensive performance
Walker Sweet delivered a solid start for the Lions, pitching 4 1/3 innings and allowing three runs, two of which were earned, on six hits. Sweet struck out two batters and induced two ground-ball double plays, demonstrating effective control with 68 pitches, 39 of which were strikes.
Gabe Perry followed with 3 2/3 innings of relief, yielding one earned run and securing the win, improving his record to 1-0. Perry allowed only two hits and struck out two batters, maintaining a WHIP of 1.25.
Kyle Kaempf closed the game with a scoreless inning, striking out two and allowing one hit, contributing to the team's overall pitching success. The pitching staff combined to limit Fort Hays to three earned runs on nine hits, securing the victory for the home team.
Luikart recorded a home run, scored three runs and drew three walks, contributing significantly to the Lions' offensive efforts. Doherty added a home run of his own, driving in one run and scoring three times. Darnell produced four RBI with a triple while also scoring twice and stealing a base. Jones hit a home run and collected one RBI, rounding out the top performers.
MSSU next heads to top-ranked Pittsburg State for a midweek contest on Wednesday, March 25. First pitch is 3 p.m., CT from Al Ortolani Field.
Arvest Bank is the season-presenting sponsor for Missouri Southern baseball.
