JOPLIN, Mo. — Missouri Southern baseball (26-13, 21-8 MIAA) secured a dominant 16-2 victory over Newman (4-36, 2-27 MIAA) Tuesday afternoon at Warren Turner Field, driven by an 18-hit performance, including four home runs.
With the victory, MSSU improved to 26-13 in 2026 and 21-8 in MIAA conference play. The Lions also captured the regular-season series sweep of Newman, winning all three midweeks over the Jets.
The Lions scored in each of the first six innings, building an insurmountable lead by the fifth.
In a decisive performance, Missouri Southern secured a commanding victory with a series of high-impact plays that set the tone early. The pivotal moment came in the second inning when
Jake Johnson launched a grand slam to left field, driving in
Jason Lazo,
Andrew Young, and
Cy Darnell. This four-run blast contributed to a substantial lead, with timely hitting and disciplined at-bats building momentum.
The offensive surge continued in the third inning, highlighted by
Blake Jones' two-run homer following
Jacob Filip's double. Darnell added pressure with aggressive base-running, stealing two bases before contributing a double in the fourth inning to score Lazo and Young.
Aiden Hinkle further expanded the lead in the fifth with a two-RBI single, capitalizing on the Jets' defensive miscue.
The Lions' defense remained resilient, limiting NU to minimal scoring opportunities. Despite an early triple and a sacrifice bunt from Newman, Southern maintained control, with the Lions' pitching corps effectively shutting down the opposition's late attempts to rally.
Missouri Southern secured a decisive victory over Newman with a final score of 16-2. The Jets initially took the lead in the first inning when Nicolas Ely tripled and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Carter Andreozzi.
The Lions quickly responded in the second inning. A walk to Lazo, a double by Young and a walk from Darnell set the stage for Johnson's grand slam, providing Missouri Southern a 4-1 advantage at the end of the second.
In the third inning, MSSU extended its lead. Filip doubled, and Jones followed with a two-run homer. Darnell's stolen bases set up additional runs, aided by a double from
Brayden Luikart that drove in two more runs, making it 9-1 through three innings.
The Lions continued their offensive surge in the fourth inning with Darnell's two-RBI double, pushing the score to 11-1.
Missouri Southern added a two-RBI single from Hinkle, setting the score at 13-1, before Newman managed to add a run in the bottom half of the fifth inning with a solo homer by Kaynan Kaku.
MSSU further extended its lead in the sixth.
Ethan Clark singled, and
Drew Vonder Haar homered, bringing in two runs. Young added a solo homer, concluding the scoring for the Lions at 16-2.
The homers were the first career blasts for both Vonder Haar and Young.
Hinkle collected three hits and drove in three runs, contributing significantly to the team's offensive performance. Luikart added three hits and two RBI, further strengthening the lineup. Jones hit a home run and tallied two RBI, showcasing his power at the plate. Johnson also delivered with a home run and four RBI, rounding out the top performers with a strong showing at bat.
Braden Ray pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out seven batters, throwing 83 pitches with 54 strikes. He improved to 2-0 in 2026.
Gabe Perry followed with an inning of relief, conceding one run on one hit—a home run—while recording one strikeout.
Lane Chapman pitched for 1/3 of an inning, issuing one walk, while
Caden Carter and
Colin Muldoon each contributed a scoreless inning and 1/3 of an inning respectively, with Carter throwing six strikes out of eight pitches.
Kaylor Darnell finished the pitching effort with 2/3 of an inning, throwing five strikes out of eight pitches.
Newman served as home team for the third game of the regular-season series after the game two location was moved from Wichita, Kansas, to Joplin, Missouri.
MSSU next continues its homestand, hosting Missouri Western for a three-game series Friday through Sunday, with Senior Day on Saturday. All three games of that series will be played at Warren Turner Field. Due to recent changes in field construction timelines, Joe Becker Stadium will not be available for the series opener with MWSU on Friday, April 17 and the game has shifted to Warren Turner Field.
The Lions will honor the careers of
Jason Lazo,
Ethan Clark,
Kyle Kaempf,
Jacob Filip and
Brayden Luikart ahead of Saturday's (April 18) game as part of Senior Day 2026.
Following Senior Weekend, MSSU will head to Pittsburg, Kansas, to face regional rival Pittsburg State on Tuesday, Feb. 21. First pitch is 3 p.m., CT. That game was shifted from Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m., CT.
Arvest Bank is the season-presenting sponsor for Missouri Southern baseball.
