Baseball Suffers Pair of Losses at Baker in Heart Doubleheader

Baldwin City, Kan. (Mar. 2, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team traveled to Baldwin City, Kan., to open a weekend series at Baker (Kan.) with a Saturday afternoon doubleheader.  The Vikings led late in the first game, but fell 5-4.  Missouri Valley dropped the second game, 8-4.

Game one started with instant production at the plate as Senior Centerfielder Ivory Daniels (Little Rock, Ark.) knocked out a lead off homer in the top of the first inning to put Missouri Valley in front.  Baker threatened in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases, but Senior Pitcher Dieterich Guertzgen (De Soto, Mo.) got out of the jam, striking out two batters in the inning, to strand all three runners on-base.  After a scoreless second inning, the Wildcats looked to rally in the bottom of the third, but an inning-ending double play was started by Senior Shortstop Josias Mogollon (Bloomfield, Iowa) to keep MVC on top, 1-0.  Guertzgen took down Baker in order in the fourth inning, then worked around a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth as Junior Catcher Connor Bell (San Diego, Calif.) threw out a runner trying to steal second base to end the at-bat.  

Missouri Valley followed with a rally in the sixth, as Junior Third Baseman Jayden Mah (Nanaimo, British Columbia) led off with a single.  After two outs, Mogollon singled to bring home the first run, and Junior Designated Hitter Luke Stoner (Rockford, Ill.) followed with a two-run homer to put the advantage at 4-0.  Baker got one of those runs back in the bottom of the sixth on a solo homer, but Bell limited the damage by again ending the inning with throwing out a runner trying to steal second base.  After a scoreless top of the seventh, BU responded with production from the plate in the bottom half.  Three singles early in the at-bat created the first run, while a sac-fly allowed Baker to pull into a one-run deficit.  With runners at second and third, MVC put a runner at first with an intentional walk to load the bases with two outs.  Another walk brought home the tying run, then an error on a grounder allowed the Wildcats to bring home one more runner and defeat Missouri Valley, 5-4.

Daniels had one hit, one run scored and one RBI, with the solo home run.  Stoner had one hit, one run and two RBI's with the two-run homer.  Mogollon added one hit, one run and one RBI.  Guertzgen picked up the loss, going 6.2 innings, giving up 11 hits with four earned runs and three strikeouts.

Baker got out in front early in the second game, using two hits to score two runs and hold a 2-0 advantage.  Missouri Valley got those runs back in the top of the second inning, as Junior First Baseman Joe Hedger (Loga, Iowa) and Stoner walked while Freshman Second Baseman Roel Colchado (San Antonio, Texas) was hit to load the bases with two outs.  Daniels came up and brought home two runners with a double to tie the contest at 2-2.  Sophomore Pitcher Mason Fenwick (Mississauga, Ontario) got out of a jam in the bottom of the second inning to keep BU scoreless and strand two runners on-base.  The Wildcats came back in the third inning with a solo homer to move in front, 3-2.  Missouri Valley responded with production from the plate in the top of the fourth.  Bell singled with one out, and Daniels belted out a two-run homer to move MVC on top, 4-3.  Fenwick kept Baker from creating runs in the fourth and fifth innings, stranding two base runners over the stretch.

After a scoreless top of the sixth inning, BU followed with a rally in the bottom half.  The Wildcats produced five runs on two hits, one error and one walk to pull ahead, 8-4.  Missouri Valley tried to work back in the top of the seventh inning as Daniels and Freshman Leftfieflder Mason Baer (Roselle, Ill.) hit back-to-back singles, but the pair were left on-base to end the game as the Vikings fell, 8-4.

Daniels led with three hits, one run and four RBI's.  Hedger added one hit and one run.  Fenwick went five innings with seven hits, three earned runs and two strikeouts.

Missouri Valley falls to 5-5 overall and 0-2 in the Heart.  Baker improves to 4-12 on the season and 2-0 in the conference.

Up next, the two teams will finish out their weekend series with a Sunday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., in Baldwin City, Kan.

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.