FORT SMITH, Ark. — Missouri Southern State (19-11, 14-6 MIAA) secured an 18-9 victory over Ark.-Fort Smith (4-25, 3-17 MIAA) on Sunday at Crowder Field. The Lions powered through with five home runs, contributing to their decisive win.
Missouri Southern secured a commanding victory over Ark.-Fort Smith, with significant contributions from several players. In the first inning,
Brayden Luikart walked and later scored on
Will Doherty's two-run homer to right field, giving the Lions an early lead. Ark.-Fort Smith answered with a run of its own, but Missouri Southern led 2-1 after one inning.
In the second inning, Doherty singled through the right side to drive in two runs, extending the Lions' lead to 4-1 after two innings.
The third inning saw further offense from Southern as Luikart hit a grand slam, bringing in four runs and pushing the score to 8-2 after Ark.-Fort Smith added a run in the bottom half.
Missouri Southern added another run in the fourth inning with
Jason Lazo's RBI double, making it 9-4. Ark.-Fort Smith managed two runs in the bottom of the fourth to narrow the gap.
Both teams went scoreless in the fifth, keeping the score at 9-4. In the sixth inning,
Aiden Hinkle hit a three-run homer, and
Blake Jones followed with a two-run home run, leading Southern to a 15-9 advantage after Ark.-Fort Smith scored five runs in their half.
The Lions scored two more runs in the eighth, highlighted by
Jake Johnson's two-run homer, extending their lead to 17-9.
In the ninth inning, Hinkle scored on a wild pitch, finalizing the score at 18-9. MSSU maintained its lead throughout the game, securing the victory over Ark.-Fort Smith.
Walker Sweet pitched 4 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits, including a home run, while striking out 3 batters and walking 1. He managed to induce 5 groundouts and picked off a runner, but also allowed 2 hit batters and had 1 wild pitch.
Carter Stover faced a challenging inning, as he allowed 4 earned runs on 3 hits in just one inning of work, with 2 wild pitches contributing to the scoring.
Kyle Kaempf pitched 2 innings, conceding 1 run on 2 hits, including a triple, while striking out 2.
Marcus Young and
Lane Chapman closed the game effectively, combining for 2 innings without allowing a run, with Chapman striking out the only batter he faced.
Hinkle scored four runs and recorded three RBIs, including a home run, in his single appearance. Luikart delivered with three hits, four RBIs, and a home run, scoring three runs and drawing four walks. Doherty finished with three hits and five RBIs, including a home run and a double, contributing two runs. Jones added two hits and two RBIs, also hitting a home run, and scored twice in the game.
