Spartan Baseball Takes Over First-Place in AMC

swept the final two games of a four-game home stand against Park University on Monday to take over sole possession of first place in the American Midwest Conference (AMC). After an 8-3 victory, the team put 15 on the board in game two, winning 15-5.

The Spartans (19-11) came into Monday’s games looking to regain their offensive presence and did just that in both games. In the first, Missouri Baptist had a tall order, facing one of the Pirate’s best pitchers, Matt Klein. The senior is a transfer from Oklahoma State University and hoped to be a speed bump to the high-powered MBU offense 

In the first inning, Spartan shortstop, Patrick Johnson led-off with a single which brought Kyle Turner to the plate. Turner drilled a lined shot directly back to the pitcher’s mound, hitting Klein in the pitching hand. Attempting to shake-off the visible pain he was in, Klein threw the ball over the first baseman’s head, scoring Johnson and allowing Turner to get to third base.

After a visit from the Missouri Baptist Athletic Trainer, Mike Nolan, Klein stayed in the game to pitch, but things unraveled from there. He went on to walk Kyle Hardy, bringing up Carlos Ruiz with two on and no outs. Ruiz hit a blistering shot over the center field fence to extend the lead to 4-0. After Todd Glime singled on the next at-bat, Park head coach, Cary Lundy has seen enough and brought in Matt Prybyszczuk to replace the struggling Klein.

Joe Riley, pinch running for Glime, came around to score on a bobbled ball by Park’s Josh Garcia, to give Missouri Baptist its fifth run of the game.

The Spartans came back up to the plate in the bottom of the second looking to increase the lead. Kyle Hardy walked and advanced to second on a Carlos Ruiz single, bringing up Glime. The Spartan catcher gave a 1-1 pitch from Prybyszczuk a ride over the fence in left center, extending the lead to 8-0.

Park refused to give up and attempted a late-inning comeback. The Pirates put three on the board in the sixth; prompting MBU head coach Eddie Uschold to go to the bullpen for trusted closer Aaron Matula. The senior handled the seventh with ease, striking out the side to earn his fifth save of the year.

Game two was much more lopsided. After a three-run second inning, Missouri Baptist posted eight runs in the third on six hits, to open up an 11-1 lead. The team went on to a 15-5 win, thanks to the hitting of Turner, Joe Riley, Ruiz and Wade Morten, who hit a pinch-hit, three-run homerun in the sixth.

Missouri Baptist starter Julien Soucy turned-in a quality performance for the Spartans. The right-hander from Arizona threw a complete game, giving hit team exactly what it needed.

The Spartans are now 19-11 overall and 10-2 in the AMC. The three victories over the Pirates on Saturday and Monday has given the team the lead in the conference and a boost heading into a road trip to Saint Ambrose University on Tuesday. The doubleheader is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.