Baseball Drops Pair of Games at Grand View

Des Moines, Iowa, (March 29, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, for a Saturday afternoon Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Grand View (Iowa).  Missouri Valley lost both games by scores of 7-3 and 9-2.

The first game started with Grand View taking an early lead, using a solo home run to make it a 1-0 score after the first inning of play.  Freshman Pitcher Mason Baer (Roselle, Ill.) struck out one batter in the second inning to keep Missouri Valley at the one-run deficit, but GVU followed with production from the plate in the bottom of the third.  Two runs were scored on three hits to make it 3-0 going into the fourth inning.  Missouri Valley cut down its deficit in the top of the fourth.  Junior Catcher Connor Bell (San Diego, Calif.) singled and Junior Leftfielder Hiroto Kobayashi (Saitama, Japan) doubled.  Senior Shortstop Josias Mogollon (Bloomfield, Iowa) followed with a three-run homer to tie the teams at 3-3.  

Missouri Valley still trailed by one run going into the bottom of the fifth, but Grand View extended its advantage with a grand-slam home run to hold a 7-3 advantage.  The top of the seventh featured Missouri Valley loading the bases with one out as Senior Pinch Hitter Josh Turner (Pensacola, Fla.) was hit, and both Junior First Baseman Joe Hedger (Logan, Iowa) and Senior Centerfielder Ivory Daniels (Little Rock, Ark.) both singled.  The tying run was at the plate, but the next two batters struck out to end the game, as MVC lost, 7-3.

Kobayashi led with two hits and one run scored, while Mogollon had one hit, one run and three RBI's on his three-run homer.  Daniels, Bell and Hedger each had one hit.  Baer pitched 3.2 innings with four hits and three earned runs, striking out two batters.

Grand View threatened early in the second game, loading the bases in the bottom of the first inning with one out.  However, Junior Pitcher Caleb Monnig (Liberty, Mo.) got out of the jam by striking out the next two batters to keep the game scoreless.  Grand View put together more production from the plate in the bottom of the second inning, using a two-run home to move ahead, 2-0.  Missouri Valley tried to rally with two outs in the top of the third, as Daniels reached on an error and Bell was hit, but the runners were left stranded.  The bottom half of the inning featured three runs on three hits, then GVU tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 6-0 score.  Missouri Valley produced again with two outs in the top of the fifth, as Daniels reached again on an error, and came home on a Bell single.  Junior Rightfielder Luke Stoner (Rockford, Ill.) singled to bring home Sophomore Pinch Runner Nick Jeffries (Jefferson City, Mo.) and put the deficit at 6-2.  Grand View responded with another run in the bottom of the fifth, pushing its lead out to 7-2.  Another two more runs were added by GVU in the bottom of the sixth, and Missouri Valley fell by a final of 9-2.

Stoner and Bell each had one hit and one run scored.  Monnig pitched three innings, giving up five hits and five earned runs with three strikeouts.

The pair of losses drop Missouri Valley to 12-17 overall and 2-12 in the Heart.  Grand View improves to 14-11 on the season and 5-7 in the conference.

Up next, Missouri Valley and Grand View finish their weekend series with a Saturday doubleheader in Des Moines, Iowa, at 1 p.m.

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.