Lions baseball team advances in MIAA tourney with 8-4 win over Newman
May 7—The second-seeded Missouri Southern Lions baseball team advanced to the semifinals of the MIAA championships after logging an 8-4 win over seventh-seeded Newman in the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday at Warren Turner Field.
The Lions (40-13) will face sixth-seeded Northeastern State University in the double-elimination tournament that runs Thursday-Sunday in Warrensburg.
NSU (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) upset third-seeded Washburn 7-6 in extra innings on Sunday in the third game of their series.
Southern sophomore starter Trent Harris (4-0) pitched five innings for the Lions, giving up one run on two hits and two walks, while fanning six batters.
"My slider was immaculate," a smiling Harris said after the game. "It's what I really depend on. I think it was my best pitch. It looked great. I've had some rough outings this year and it's great to have a team behind you that really puts you on their shoulders."
MSSU Head Coach Bryce Danrell talked about Harris' start after the game.
"He was really good. He did exactly what we needed him to do," Darnell said. "We thought going into it if he could give us three innings, that would be great. He was awesome and then we just turned it over to Kyle (Moore) and Laif (Hultine). But Trent was outstanding.
Both teams went down in order in the first inning and Harris fanned two of three batters to shut the Jets down in the top of the second. MSSU scored its first run of the game when a Drew Davis sacrifice fly to right field plated Matt Miller in the bottom of the frame.
Newman (23-30) tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third when Jack Kiser led off and hit his first home run of the year. The score remained tied until the Lions plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning off an Ethan Clark double that scored Treghan Parker and Nate Mieszkowski.
Southern exploded for five runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 8-1. Davis brought Garrett Rice home with a triple that hit the top of the wall in left field. Will Doherty followed with a double to left that scored Davis. Chayton Beck followed with a double of his own down the right field line that brought Doherty home and prompted a pitching change for the Jets. Ian Lecki was replaced on the mound by Colby Wilson, who was welcomed to the game by a Mieszkowski two-run homer to left center that plated Beck.
Newman chipped three runs off the Lion' seven-run lead in the top of the eighth inning when Hayden Vandepol scored off a Jake Angelico single, Jenner Steele drove in Shawn Marquis with a single and Jason Schneider singled to bring in Angelico.
Hultine replaced reliever Moore in the middle of the eighth and struck out three of the six batters he faced to secure the win. Mieszkowski, Parker, Clark and Rice all went 2-4 at the plate. Mieszkowski, Clark and Rice each logged two RBIs to lead the Southern offense.
Marquis was 2-5 for Newman.
