JOPLIN, Mo. – SWOSU Baseball jumped out to a 9-2 lead over nationally ranked Missouri Southern but allowed 14 unanswered runs from there and eventually fell to the Lions 16-11 in the road non-conference tilt.
Just this morning, MSSU (25-7) cracked the top-5 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Top 25 Poll – coming in at No. 4. They got all they could handle from the Dawgs on Wednesday but were able to weather the storm and complete the comeback.
Both teams used the long ball to score runs. SWOSU did so early behind home runs from Geoff Marlow and Emilio Trevino, but Missouri Southern hit four themselves which aided in erasing the deficit that was built.
Trevino saw the ball well all game. He finished 4-5 at the plate, scoring twice in the contest. Jaylon Johnson, making his second start of the season, finished 3-5 with a double while Caleb Clines also added three hits including a triple.
The offense had success nearly all afternoon, outhitting their opposition 20-12 on the scoreboard, representing the second most hits in a game they've had all season. They did strand 10 runners on base, a stat they could have cashed in on further to tilt the game in their favor.
SWOSU got the start it wanted with seven runs in the second inning to jump out to a significant early lead. They did so with seven hits in the inning including a span of seven consecutive batters who reached base safely via either hit or walk.
The Dawgs added single runs in the next two innings and led 9-2 headed to the bottom of the fourth. That's when the momentum changed.
MSSU got four in their half of the fourth and hung crooked numbers the next three innings in a row and in four of the next five.
Matt Milner started and pitched 4.0 innings before giving way to the bullpen. Four relievers made appearances from there, all giving up runs.
After four innings without scoring, SWOSU finally got back on the board in the ninth with two more but the margin was too great to overcome. The loss drops the Dawgs to 15-16 overall on the season.
More Great American Conference play awaits the Bulldogs this weekend. After trekking to Chickasha (Okla.) and Joplin this week, they'll remain away from Weatherford but will not have to go too far when they take on Southern Nazarene in a three-game series on Friday and Saturday.
