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COLLEGE BASEBALL: MSSU wins MIAA tourney opener

By:
Missouri Southern Athletics

The 25th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team got a 5-3 win in game one of a best-of-three series against Central Oklahoma today as the Lions and the Bronchos opened up the 2021 MIAA Baseball Championships at Warren Turner Field.

The Lions (30-11), got another stellar start from senior lefty Zach Parish as the MIAA Pitcher of the Year shined, going six innings, striking out nine and allowing just one unearned run in the first. Ryan Paschal threw an inning in relief, while Logan VanWey pitched the final two innings and struck out three to earn save number three of the season.

Dexter Swims drove in two crucial runs, while Jordan Fitzpatrick, Henry Kusiak and Clay Milas had two hits each. Fitzpatrick, Troy Gagan, Tommy Stevenson, Kusiak and Ryan Hunter all had a run scored, while Hunter hit home run number three on the season.

UCO (22-19) got on top first with an unearned run in the first inning, but the Lions answered right back and tied it in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single from Milas to score Fitzpatrick.

Hunter homered in the second to put the Lions up 2-1. Neither team scored until the seventh when the Lions got three runs across. Stevenson hit a single to left center to score Gagan and Swims singled home Kusiak and Stevenson.

The Bronchos added two more runs in the eighth, but it was not enough.

The two teams will be back at it tomorrow afternoon. First pitch has been pushed back to 3 p.m. due to expected weather in the area. With a win, the Lions will win the series and will advance to next weekend’s MIAA Tournament Finals which will be in Joplin at Warren Turner Field.

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