MSSU baseball falls 5-4 to Central Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The 22nd ranked Missouri Southern baseball team fell 5-4 Friday night in extra innings to visiting Central Missouri inside the MSSU Baseball Field.

Southern (16-2, 8-1 MIAA) picked up solid pitching from its staff tonight. Tyler Burgess started for the Lions and went seven innings, allowing just one earned run, while striking out 11 and walking two. Nick Pettus pitched a perfect eighth with a strikeout, while Matt Harvey threw the final three innings and moved his record to 1-1. Harvey struck out five and walked none.

Central (11-10, 7-6 MIAA) received a superb pitching performance from its starter as Carlos D'Armas went six and a third, limiting the Lions to just one hit, while striking out 13 and walking two. Between the two teams, the pitching staffs combined for 35 strikeouts on the night.

The Mules picked up an unearned run in the first, and a home run from Colton Hilbrenner in the third made the score 2-0.

Both pitchers held the teams scoreless until the ninth when the Mules added two in their half to go up 4-0.

Southern wasn't through, however. The Lions scored four runs in the ninth to force extras. Jon Davis started things off with a single up the middle, forcing a pitching change for the Mules. After an out, Jesse Rall doubled to the wall down the left field line, putting runners at second and third. Tee Helsel walked to load the bases andAxel Johnson worked a bases-loaded walk for the first run.

Richie Gorski then singled to right, scoring Rall. Austin White pinch ran for Johnson and Robbe Ewing worked a bases-loaded walk of his own to score Helsel to make the score 4-3. Mitchell Osburn then hit into a fielder's choice, beating the return throw to drive in White for the tying run and forcing extra innings.

Neither team scored in the tenth, but the Mules put the go-ahead run across in the 11th when a wild pitch on a third strike scored a run from third.

Gorski went 3-5 in the game with an RBI, while Davis and Rall had a hit each. Davis, Rall, Helsel and White scored once, while Johnson, Gorski, Ewing and Osburn drove in a run each.

The two teams will be at it Saturday afternoon with a double-header slated for 1 pm.