Health & Fitness
#15 Spartans Victorious over #7 Cumberland Bulldogs
After dropping its first game in it's last 10 against Campbellsville, Missouri Baptist got right back in the win column with a shutout against Cumberland University on Tuesday
LEBANON, Tenn. – After dropping its first game in it’s last 10 against Campbellsville, got right back in the win column with a shutout against Cumberland University on Tuesday.
Missouri Baptist (12-8) began the day against Campbellsville and could not seem to get the bats going against Tigers’ starter, Phillip Gerber. The junior from California pitched seven solid innings, struck out six and gave up only five hits.
The Spartans committed five errors in the nine-inning contest, leading to the loss. The lone bright spot in the game was a solo homerun by centerfielder, Kyle Turner in the eighth inning.
Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In game two, the Spartans leaned heavily on strong pitching to get their 12th win of the season. Starter Michael Avila and closer Aaron Matula combined for a shutout over the seventh-ranked team in the nation on Tuesday night.
Missouri Baptist struck first blood. Third basemen Kyle Hardy drove a 2-2 pitch over the left field fence in the first to give his team a 1-0 lead. Hardy drove in the team’s second run in the third on a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Joe Riley.
Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As Hardy continued to drive the ball well, Michael Avila was putting together a great game on the mound. The junior from Brooklyn, N.Y. threw 5.1 shutout innings with four strikeouts. Though he gave up five free passes, Avila threw well in big situations, keeping the Bulldogs off the board.
After getting the first out of the sixth, the Spartan starter got into some trouble. Avila loaded the bases before being pulled in favor of Aaron Matula. The senior right-hander came into the game and was phenomenal. He got the first batter to pop-up on the infield and then struck out the final batter of the inning in a crucial situation for the Spartans. Matula came back out for the seventh after MBU tacked-on an insurance run in the seventh, to collect his third save of the season.
The Spartans are now 12-8 on the season and will look to make it two in a row against the Bulldogs tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.