Baseball Pulls Away For Win Over Health Sciences & Pharmacy

Marshall, Mo., (March 6, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team played its first game at home this season, hosting Health Sciences & Pharmacy (Mo.) in a non-conference contest Wednesday evening at Indian Foothills Park.  The Vikings led early and pulled away for an 8-1 victory.

The game started with Senior Pitcher Dieterich Guertzgen (De Soto, Mo.) working through the Health Sciences & Pharmacy lineup in order in the top of the first.  The bottom of the first featured production from the plate, as Senior Centerfielder Ivory Daniels (Little Rock, Ark.) led off the at-bat with a single, and came home on a double from Junior Third Baseman Jayden Mah (Nanaimo, British Columbia) to make it a 1-0 score.  Guertzgen followed by facing the minimum again in the second inning, striking out one.  Health Sciences & Pharmacy answered back in the third inning, using two hits and one MVC error to bring home one run and tie the contest at 1-1.  The Vikings rallied in the bottom half, which started on a leadoff homer from Daniels.  Senior Shortstop Josias Mogollon (Bloomfield, Iowa) singled, stole second base, and came home on a wild pitch.  Junior Rightfielder Hiroto Kobayashi (Saitama, Japan) tripled later in the at-bat, and scored on a double from Junior First Baseman Joe Hedger (Logan, Iowa) to put the advantage at 4-1.  Sophomore Pitcher Coy Smith (Marshall, Mo.) kept UHSP scoreless in the fourth inning, striking out one batter.  The lead grew in the bottom of the fourth, as Junior Second Baseman Austyn Andrachic (Kalispell, Mont.) singled and Mogollon belted a two-out, two-run homer to make it a 6-1 score.  

Smith worked around a single in the top of the fifth to lead the runner stranded with an inning-ending strikeout, then kept Health Sciences & Pharmacy scoreless in the sixth inning.  Missouri Valley tacked on another run in the bottom half, with the production coming after two outs.  Andrachic was hit and Daniels singled.  Daniels then stole second base, and Andrachic scored on an error during the play to push the lead out to 7-1.  One more run was added in the eighth inning as Daniels drove home Junior Pinch Hitter Luke Stoner (Rockford, Ill.) with a single.  Freshman Pitcher Porter Fike (Columbia, Ill.) finished out the game by taking UHSP in order in the ninth inning, striking out one, to secure the 8-1 win.

Daniels led with four hits, two runs and two RBI's.  Mogollon had two hits, two runs and two RBI's, while Andrachic added one hit and two runs scored.  Both Hedger and May totaled one hit and one RBI each.  The win went to Smith, who pitched three innings with three hits and two strikeouts.  Missouri Valley allowed only five hits in the game.

Missouri Valley improves to 6-7 and Health Sciences & Pharmacy drops to 3-7.

Up next, the Viking baseball team will play a four-game weekend Heart series at home against Clarke (Iowa).  First doubleheader of the season takes place Saturday at 1 p.m., at Indian Foothills Park.

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.