Baseball Sweeps Day Two Doubleheader at Benedictine

Atchison, Kan., (March 2, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team finished a weekend Heart of America Athletic Conference series in Atchison, Kan., against Benedictine, Sunday afternoon.  The Vikings rallied to win game one, 7-6, then came back from another deficit to take game two, 8-5, and sweep the doubleheader.

Game one started with Freshman Pitcher Rowan Gelder (Mississauga, Ontario) working around a two-out single in the top of the first inning, then striking out one batter and using a double-play started by Freshman Shortstop Sota Suzuki (Aichi, Japan) in the top of the second inning to keep Benedictine scoreless.  Missouri Valley went in front in the bottom of the second inning, producing from the plate with two outs.  Junior Centerfielder Mason Mitchell (Littleton, Colo.) singled and stole second base, then came home on a Suzuki grounder that resulted in a BC error, as the Vikings moved ahead, 1-0.  Gelder faced the minimum in the top of the third, ending the at-bat with a strikeout.  The bottom half of the inning started with a leadoff homer from Junior Leftfielder Shumpei Kaneko (Saitama, Japan) to put the lead at 2-0.  Benedictine came back with a long rally in the fourth inning, using four hits and two walks to plate six runs and go on top, 6-2.  Missouri Valley cut into its deficit in the bottom of the fourth, as Senior First Baseman Austyn Andrachick (Kalispell, Mont.) led off with a double, then came home on a single from Senior Second Baseman Ruben Fernandez (Madrid, Spain).  Later in the inning, Senior Third Baseman Connor Bell (San Diego, Calif.) singled with two outs, and Junior Designated Hitter Tanner Duncan (Kennett, Mo.) brought Fernandez home on a single to right field.  Bell came home as well, pulling off a double-steal attempt with Duncan, and the deficit sat at 6-5.

Freshman Pitcher Isaac Nieters (Hughesville, Mo.) worked around a pair of two-out singles in the top of the fifth inning, stranding two runners on-base.  The Vikings came back with another rally in the bottom half, as Junior Catcher Carter Kalin (Superior, Wisc.) and Junior Rightfielder Pablo Arnaud (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) singled, while Mitchell worked a walk to load the bases with no outs.  Senior Pinch Runner Dale Bratz (Carstairs, Alberta) was forced out at home on a grounder, but Suzuki followed with a single to center that allowed both Mitchell and Arnaud to score and send MVC ahead, 7-6.  Senior Pitcher Caleb Bergman (Alma, Mo.) came at the start of the sixth inning, and stranded one runner to end the Raven at-bat.  The Ravens threatened in the top of the seventh, using a one-out double to bring the go-ahead run to the plate.  Bergman got out of the jam with a pop-out and a game-ending strikeout to preserve the 7-6 win.

Suzuki led with one hit and three RBI's while Mitchell added one hit and two runs scored.  Kaneko and Fernandez added one hit, one run and one RBI, while Bell, Arnaud and Andrachick had one hit and one run each.  Nieters picked up the win, going two innings with four hits and one earned run, while Bergman added his first save of the season, pitching the final two innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Game two began with Benedictine going in front early, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning, then adding another run in the second inning.  Missouri Valley rallied in the bottom half of the second, which started on a walk from Arnaud, who later came home on a Senior First Baseman Joe Hedger (Logan, Iowa) single.  Suzuki followed with a double to put two runners on-base, and Kaneko cleared the bases with a three-run homer to put the Vikings on top, 4-3.  Sophomore Pitcher Mason Chamberlain (Victoria, B.C.) worked through the top of the third inning ending the Raven threat on a double-play hit back to the pitcher's mound to keep BC scoreless in the at-bat.  The next productive inning came in the fifth, when the Ravens produced two runs on two hits and one walk, to go back on top, 5-4.  Missouri Valley responded in the bottom of the inning, which started on a double from Kaneko and a single from Bell.  A grounder from Duncan allowed Kaneko to come home from third, while Bell scored on a groundout by Arnaud.  The final run of the rally came on another grounder, this time by Hedger that brought home Duncan, and MVC held a 7-5 advantage.  

Senior Pitcher Bodey Ellis (Kennett, Mo.) took down Benedictine in order in the sixth inning, striking out a pair of batters.  The Vikings came through with more offense in the bottom of the sixth, as Freshman Catcher Jaozef Del Rosario (Toronto, Canada) singled to open the at-bat, and was replaced by Bratz as a pinch runner.  Bell drove home Bratz with a single, and MVC built up an 8-5 lead going into the seventh inning.  The Ravens put their leadoff batter aboard with a walk, but Ellis struck out the next batter, then induced a double-play grounder to Fernandez at second base to end the game and give Missouri Valley an 8-5 win and a doubleheader sweep.

Bell had three hits, one run and one RBI, while Kaneko totaled two hits, two runs scored and three RBI's.  Hedger added one hit, one run and two RBI's.  The win went to Freshman Pitcher JR Reed (Fort Worth, Texas), while Ellis pitched the final two innings, giving up no hits and striking out three to earn the save.

Missouri Valley improved to 5-5 overall and 4-0 in the Heart after the pair of wins.  Benedictine drops to 4-12 on the season and 0-4 in the Heart.

Up next, the Viking baseball team will travel to Ottawa (Kan.), for a 9-inning non-conference game, Monday at 1 p.m., in Ottawa, Kan.  The two teams split a doubleheader on Feb. 25, with MissourI Valley winning the opening game, 8-5.

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.