Baseball Suffers Pair of Losses to Culver-Stockton at Home

Marshall, Mo., (March 16, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team opened a home Heart of America Athletic Conference series with Culver-Stockton (Mo.) in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader.  The Vikings led through much of the first game, but fell, 6-4, then suffered an 11-4 loss in the second game.

Game one started with Senior Pitcher Dieterich Guertzgen (De Soto, Mo.) working through the Culver-Stockton lineup in order, striking out two batters.  Guertzgen got out of a jam in the top of the second inning, stranding two runners on-base.  Missouri Valley followed with production in the bottom half, as Sophomore Designated Hitter Hiroto Kobayashi (Tokyo, Japan) reached on an error and Junior Second Baseman Dale Bratz (Carstairs, Alberta) singled.  Senior Rightfielder KJ Hartline (Windsor, Colo.) drove home Kobayashi with a bases-loaded walk, and MVC went in front, 1-0.  Culver-Stockton was taken down in order in the third, then the Wildcats struck out three times in the top of the fourth.  Guertzgen finished off another three strikeouts in the fifth, but the leadoff batter in the inning knocked out a solo homer to tie the game at 1-1. 

The bottom of the fifth started with Hartline reaching after being hit, and Junior Catcher Connor Bell (San Diego, Calif.) earning a walk.  Senior Centerfielder Ivory Daniels (Little Rock, Ark.) came to the plate and hit a three-run homer to right field.  Missouri Valley went back in front, 4-1.  Culver-Stockton threatened in the sixth, loading the bases on two walks and one hit.  However, Guertzgen struck out the next batter and worked a pop-out to end the threat and leave three runners stranded.  Missouri Valley held its 4-1 lead going into the top of the seventh inning, but CSC rallied.  Four hits and one walk eventually led to five runs to put Culver-Stockon in front, 6-4.  Missouri Valley tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh, Hartline was hit once again and Freshman Pinch Hitter Marlow Bravo, Jr. (Miami, Fla.), singled.  Daniels singled to put the winning run on-base with no outs, but those three runners were all stranded after a fly-out and two strikeouts ended the at-bat.  The Vikings fell, 6-4.

Daniels led with two hits, one run and three RBI's.  He now has 173 hits in his career at Missouri Valley, which is most for the program.  Kobayashi had one hit and one run.  Guertzgen went 6.2 innings with eight hits, four earned runs and a career-high 11 strikeouts, but picked up the no-decision.

The second game started with Junior Pitcher Caleb Monnig (Liberty, Mo.) stranding one Culver-Stockton runner on-base to end the top of the first inning.  Missouri Valley tried to go in front early, as Senior Shortstop Josias Mogollon (Bloomfield, Iowa) singled and stole second base.  He reached third on a single from Junior Third Baseman Jayden Mah (Nanaimo, British Columbia) and Kobayashi walked to load the bases.  However, the Vikings were unable to bring any of those runners home before the at-bat ended.  Monnig worked around a pair of baserunners and an error in the second inning to keep the game scoreless. However, the Wildcats put together some offense in the top of the third, using three hits and one error to produce three runs.  Culver-Stockton tacked on another three runs in the fourth inning to make it a 6-0 advantage.  Missouri Valley responded with production from the plate in the bottom of the inning.  Walks were earned by Junior First Baseman Joe Hedger (Logan, Iowa), Bell and Daniels to load the bests with two outs.  Mogollon then brought home two runners with a double, then a wild pitch allowed Daniels to score and put the deficit at 6-3.

The Wildcats came back and increased their lead in the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits and two MVC errors to stay ahead, 10-3.  The final run of the game for Missouri Valley came in the bottom of the sixth, as Bell knocked out a solo homer.  Culver-Stockton added one more run in the seventh, and finished out an 11-4 victory.

Bell had two hits, one run and one RBI, while Mogollon added two hits and two RBI's.  Mah finished with two hits and one RBI. 

The pair of losses drop Missouri Valley to 8-12 overall and 1-9 in the Heart.  Culver-Stockton improves to 6-15-1 on the season and 3-3 in the conference.

Up next, the Vikings host Culver-Stockton in another Heart doubleheader, Sunday at 1 p.m., at Indian Foothills Park.

Game 1 Box Score-Click Here

Game 2 Box Score-Click Here

ABOUT MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.