KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — Missouri Southern State baseball picked up a pair of wins on Saturday, edging Saginaw Valley 8-7 in game one before pulling away for a 12-6 victory over Truman in game two.
Game One: Missouri Southern 8, Saginaw Valley 7
Missouri Southern (30-15, 24-9) held off a late push from Saginaw Valley in a high-scoring opener fueled by early power at the plate.
After surrendering three runs in the first inning, the Lions answered immediately. Brayden Luikart set the tone with a double before Blake Jones launched a two-run home run. Ethan Clark followed later in the inning with a three-run blast, giving Southern a quick 5-3 advantage.
The Lions continued to add on, with Aiden Hinkle delivering a solo home run in the second and adding an RBI single in the third. A sacrifice fly from Cy Darnell helped extend the lead to 8-4.
Saginaw Valley chipped away with two unearned runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to make it a one-run game, but the Southern bullpen shut the door. Lane Chapman provided two scoreless innings, and Marcus Young closed it out with two innings of one-hit relief to earn his seventh save.
Hinkle, Jones, and Clark powered the offense, combining for eight hits, three home runs, and seven RBIs.
Game Two: Missouri Southern 12, Truman 6
Missouri Southern (31-15, 24-9) used a massive seven-run eighth inning to break open a tight game and secure the sweep.
The Lions struck early with three runs in the second inning. Andrew Young scored on a sacrifice bunt by Darnell, while Hinkle added an RBI double and later scored on a wild pitch.
After Truman took a 6-3 lead midway through the game, Southern began its comeback in the seventh with a solo home run from Jones. The momentum carried into the eighth, where the Lions erupted for seven runs. Jones delivered a two-RBI double, Jason Lazo added a two-run single, and Ethan Clark drove in two more with a double as Southern surged in front.
Lazo capped the scoring with an RBI double in the ninth.
Caden Carter was strong out of the bullpen, tossing three scoreless innings to earn the win. Offensively, Jones led the way with three hits, three RBIs, and three runs scored, while Lazo added three RBIs and Young contributed three hits and two stolen bases.
Missouri Southern combined timely hitting and effective relief pitching across both games to complete the Saturday sweep.
