Baseball Splits Games to Culver-Stockton to Finish Series

Marshall, Mo., (March 17, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team finished a home series against Culver-Stockton (Mo.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader, Sunday afternoon. The Vikings fell in the opener, 12-1, but won the second game, 11-7, to split the doubleheader.

Game two started with the Vikings producing at the plate in the bottom of the first inning, using an CSC error that allowed Senior Centerfielder Ivory Daniels (Little Rock, Ark.) to reach third and then score with a sac-fly from Junior Rightfielder Hiroto Kobayashi (Saitama, Japan). Culver-Stockton answered back with a solo homer to tie the game at 1-1, but Sophomore Pitcher Mason Fenwick (Mississauga, Ontario) threw out the base runner trying to steal and then struck out another batter to end the top of the second inning. The Wildcats went in front in the third, using three hits to score three runs, but the Vikings responded as Junior Catcher Connor Bell (San Diego, Calif.) was hit. Freshman Second Baseman Roel Colchado (San Antonio, Texas) singled and Mogollon walked and with the bases loaded, Junior Third Baseman Jayden Mah (Nanaimo, British Columbia) brought home Sophomore Pinch Runner Nick Jeffries (Jefferson City, Mo.) and Colchado with a single to cut the deficit down to 4-3.

Missouri Valley eventually came back, as Junior First Baseman Joe Hedger (Logan, Iowa) and Bell walked. Then Senior Rightfielder KJ Hartline (Windsor, Colo.) singled, and with loaded bases Colchado tripled to bring home three runners, who also scored on a wild pitch. Daniels followed with a solo homer to extend the Vikings lead to 8-4. Freshman Leftfielder Mason Baer (Roselle, Ill.) capped the rally with a single to center field allowing Mogollon to score who also had a single. Junior Pitcher Caleb Bergman (Alma, Mo.) came in as relief in the fourth and kept the Wildcats scoreless in the fourth and fifth inning. Missouri Valley extended its lead in the bottom half of the fifth, beginning with a leadoff triple from Daniels, who also scored as Kobayashi tripled to center field. Mogollon came up with a single that helped Kobayashi come home, and make it an 11-4 advantage. Culver-Stockton cut into its deficit in the last two innings of the game, but Missouri Valley finished out an 11-4 victory to split the doubleheader.

Leading the team was Daniels with three runs scored, two hits and one RBI, followed by Colchado with two runs, two hits and three RBI's. Kobayashi totaled one run scored, one hit and two RBI's, while Mogollon had two hits, one run and one RBI. Baer had two hits and one RBI, and Mah added one hit and two RBI's. Jeffries scored twice. Bergman picked up the win, going 3.0 inning in relief. 

The first game started with Baer striking out two batters and then the Vikings used a double from Daniels, a hit by the pitch, and a single by Kobayashi that brought Daniels home. After a scoreless second inning, the Wildcats tied the game, 1-1, using two errors by MVC. Culver-Stockton eventually pulled away from there and scored seven runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth to take the lead, 10-1. Sophomore Catcher Masayoshi Hattori (Tokyo, Japan) and Junior First Baseman Austyn Andrachick both singled in the bottom of the fifth but were left stranded. The Vikings were unable to cut into their deficit, and fell by a final score of 12-1.

Kobayashi finished with two hits and one RBI, while Daniels finished with one hit and one run. Stoner, Hattori and Andrachick each had one hit. Locke picked up the loss with seven hits and six earned runs.

Missouri Valley moves to 9-13 overall and 2-10 in the Heart with the split. Culver-Stockton is now 7-16-1 on the season and 4-4 in the conference.

Up next, the Vikings baseball team is scheduled to host Central Christian (Kan.) in a nine-inning non-conference game, Tuesday at 2 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.