WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Missouri Southern Lions scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to rally for a 7-6 win over the No. 24-ranked University of Central Missouri Mules Baseball team on Thursday, April 30, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in the series opener of a three-game MIAA series.
The Mules (33-13, 23-11 MIAA) and Lions (32-15, 25-9 MIAA) are scheduled to play game two of the series at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 1, in Warrensburg.
UCM and Missouri Southern played the top of the first inning before entering a lightning delay that lasted nearly an hour.
Once the game resumed, MSSU gained a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning on a three-run home run from Andrew Young before Central Missouri responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to gain a 5-3 advantage.
Ryker Edwards hit his fourth homer of the season – a two-run round-tripper to right-center, for the opening two runs of the frame before
Brock Kobel crossed home plate on an error.
Cole Kreisel belted a two-run triple to right-center, driving in the fourth and fifth runs of the inning.
Missouri Southern tied the game, 5-5, in the top of the fifth on a two-run home run from Blake Jones.
UCM pulled ahead, 6-5, when
Cole Funkhouser scored on an RBI groundout from
Grant Hollister in the bottom of the seventh inning. The advantage was short-lived, however, as the Lions tied the game on a sacrifice fly and then gained the 7-6 lead on a UCM error in the top of the eighth.
Kriesel was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI, and hit his 100th career hit as a Mule on an infield single in the third inning; Edwards was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI, and
Kaiden Ashton was 2-for-4, leading the Mules offensively.
Central Missouri starting pitcher
Sawyer Allen tossed 4 1/3 innings and picked up his 100th career strikeout at UCM in the second inning. Reliever
Chris Massey (2-1) took the loss on the mound for the Mules, allowing two runs – one earned – on one hit with one strikeout and one walk in a third of an inning.
Both teams had 10 hits in the contest, but UCM committed two errors while Missouri Southern had just one miscue.
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