Season ends for MSSU baseball with close loss to Hillcats
· Yahoo Sports
CLAREMORE, Okla. — Missouri Southern State University surrendered three runs in the first two innings and had to try to fight back the remainder of Saturday’s elimination game in the NCAA Division II Central Region tournament against Rogers State University at RCB Bank Sports Complex in Claremore.
Visit afrikasportnews.co.za for more information.
The Hillcats used the strong winds to their advantage as pitchers were able to get many long flyouts on balls that were hit hard but were cut down by the wind.
MSSU’s Will Doherty managed to hit a ball over the left field fence and over the scoreboard, but that was the only run the team got in a 3-1 loss.
“We had a ton of balls I felt like were well hit. Give Rogers State credit for knowing how to play at their field and taking advantage of it,” MSSU head coach Bryce Darnell said. “I think (Brayden) Luikart would have had two home runs. I think (Jacob) Filip would have had a home run. I think the last ball of the game probably would have been a home run in most parks in our league. But that’s the way it goes.”
“That’s usually the story when you play here, especially this time of year when it’s warm out and that wind’s crawling over that right field wall,” rogers State head coach Chris Klimas said. “Missouri Southern hit some balls that were absolutely melted into the wind that turned the outfielders but didn’t really threaten outside of the one Doherty hit over the scoreboard.”
Klimas added that scoring early is important at his field because it’s more difficult to work from behind when the wind is blowing like it was Saturday.
In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, MSSU senior second baseman Jason Lazo stepped into the left-handed batter’s box.
All game long, left-handed hitters were victim of wind gusts of up to 29 mph in Claremore. Lazo didn’t let the wind affect his last at-bat as a Lion.
He hit a laser back where it came from off the throwing arm of Rogers State relief pitcher Elijah Knowlton. The ball glanced off his right arm and up into the air. The ball fell just in front of the diving Andrew Ramirez, who came sprinting in to try to make the catch from shortstop as the ball landed right in front of the second base bag.
Lazo’s hit kept the game going and removed Knowlton from the game.
Klimas then turned to left-handed pitcher Michael Klein to complete the win. But Klein first surrendered a hit to lefty Jacob Filip on an opposite field single down the left field line.
Up next for Southern was senior Ethan Clark. Clark watched two pitches go by for balls and then fouled the third pitch over the backstop behind him. The next pitch was over the heart of the plate, and he gave it a drive on a line toward left field.
The ball was hooking toward the foul pole and tracking deep toward the fence but was tracked down right in front of the wall by Rogers State left fielder Luis Fuentes to end the game.
“It just wasn’t meant to be today. I’m proud of our guys for competing. I know this sounds like a broken record, but I felt like we hit the ball well today and I felt like we did enough offensively the wind just knocked a ton of balls down,” Darnell said.
“I’m glad. I’m happy that it was in our hands and we got a shot at it being seniors. It sucks it didn’t work out for us,” Clark said.
Lazo spoke to the bad breaks the Lions dealt with as many well-hit balls didn’t find a hole like his in the ninth did.
“It’s an outdoor sport. You can’t really control it. We played really well. I think better than them, but it just happens in baseball,” he said.
Rogers State starter Damon Anderson-Wolf improved to 10-0 on the season with his 10th start and 14th appearance. He pitched beyond the sixth inning for just the third time this season as he completed seven innings allowing just five hits, one run and struck out four.
Knowlton pitched 1 ⅔ innings while Klein recorded the last out of the game.
“You have to pitch up in the zone, you have to pitch to the wind and to the big part of the ballpark, and I thought our guys did a good job of that today,” Klimas said.
For MSSU, Lane Chapman got through the first inning after allowing two runs but was lifted in the second before recording an out. He allowed three runs on three hits and three walks.
Freshman Jackson Gamble logged six innings and struck out seven batters while holding the Hillcats to just three hits. He didn’t walk any. Michael Mulhollon pitched the eighth and ninth innings and kept Rogers State’s offense silent as he struck out two batters, walked one and allowed just one hit.
“Obviously, our start was what doomed us. Our start put us behind the eight ball. But Jackson was great. He pitched outstanding. … That was awesome to see, but we just weren’t able to overcome the three runs we gave up in the first two innings,” Darnell said.
Rogers State’s defense flashed the leather all game with tough catches in the outfield. One ball in particular hit by Luikart that was killed by the wind saw right fielder Nathan Gutierrez overrun the flight of the ball, but he realized just in time and dove back toward the infield to snag the ball just above the grass.
Second baseman Kade Goeke showed off speed and range to field some hard-hit grounders and make throws to first base to keep the Lions off the bases.
“I said that after the Missouri Southern game in the opener. … I thought defense was the key. Kade made two plays in that first game that really saved us,” Klimas said. “On days like this, you have to play defense and you can’t self-inflict on the mound.”
His pitchers didn’t self-inflict at all as there was only one free pass issued by his staff.
MSSU ends its season with an overall record of 34-19 after starting 8-10 this season. It finished second in the MIAA regular season standings, tied with Rogers State with a 26-10 mark.