Baseball Splits at No. 21 Central Methodist

Fayette, Mo., (April 14, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team was in Fayette, Mo., for a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against No. 21 Central Methodist (Mo.).  Playing as the home team, the Vikings trailed early, and rallied late to win the opening game, 10-6.  Game two saw the team fall by a 4-0 score.

Game one started with early offense from both teams.  Central Methodist opened with three hits to score one run in the top of the first inning, but Junior Pitcher Dieterich Guertzgen (De Soto, Mo.) ended the inning with a strikeout to strand two runners.  Missouri Valley countered in the bottom half, as Junior Centerfielder Ivory Daniels (Little Rock, Ark.) was walked and Sophomore First Baseman Luke Stoner (Rockford, Ill.) was hit.  Sophomore Third Baseman Jumpei Ohashi (Asahikawa, Japan) singled to score Daniels, and Stoner came home on a double from Sophomore Designated Hitter Jayden Mah (Nanaimo, British Columbia) to put the team on top, 2-1.  The Eagles went in front again in the second inning, using a two-run homer.  Missouri Valley followed with another rally, as Junior Shortstop Josias Mogollon (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) brought home Sophomore Pinch Runner Josh Barnhill (Burgaw, N.C.) on a single, while Daniels scored Senior Rightfielder Kyle Weber (Marshall, Mo.) on a sac-fly to make it a 4-3 score.  The Eagles added another run in the third to tie the game at 4-4.  Guertzgen took down CMU in order in the fourth, but Central Methodist tacked on another solo homer in the fifth to go in front, 5-4.  Missouri Valley produced again from the plate in the bottom of the fifth as Mah walked, stole second, then came home on a Sophomore Second Baseman Ruben Fernandez (Madrid, Spain) double to even the teams at 5-5.  Central Methodist used another solo homer to take the advantage once again at 6-5.  The Vikings followed with a long rally in the bottom half of the inning which featured an RBI single from Daniels to score Barnhill.  Later in the at-bat, Ohashi singled to bring home Daniels, and the lead was capped on a three-run homer from Mah.  Sophomore Pitcher Caleb Bergman (Alma, Mo.) struck out one batter, and took CMU down in order to finish off a 10-6 victory.

Mah led with two hits, two runs scored and four RBI's, while Ohashi added two hits, one run and two RBI's.  Daniels had one hit, two runs and two RBI's, and Weber finished with one hit aond one run scored.  Guertzgen picked up the win, going six innings, giving up 10 hits with five earned runs and three strikeouts.

The second game started with Sophomore Pitcher Kotaro Uchida (Chichibu, Japan) taking down Central Methodist in order in the top of the first inning.  Stoner singled in the bottom half of the inning, but was let on-base to end the at-bat.  Uchida then struck out one batter in the second and faced the minimum.  The Vikings threatened in the bottom half as both Mah and Sophomore Leftfielder Jayden Simpliciano (Honolulu, Hawaii) singled, but the pair were left stranded.  The Eagles were held without a hit in the third inning, but followed with production in the fourth.  Two base hits and an intentional walk loaded the bases.  A hit batter brought a runner home and made it a 1-0 score.  Central Methodist added to its lead in the fifth, using three hits and one MVC error to score three runs.  The Vikings tried to rally in the bottom half of the inning, as CMU committed two errors and Daniels singled, but none of the base runners could reach home to keep the deficit at 4-1.  Sophomore Pitcher Tanner Hecht (Jackson, Mo.) worked around a leadoff walk to strand one on-base in the sixth, then caught runner trying to score on a passed ball in the seventh.  The Vikings could not put anyone on-base in their final at-bat and fell, 4-0.

Daniels led with two hits, while Stoner, Mah and Simpliciano each had one hit.  Uchida picked up the loss, going four innings with four hits and two earned runs.

The split puts Missouri Valley at 11-24 overall and 7-15 in the Heart.  Central Methodist sits at 26-12 on the season and 16-4 in the conference.

Up next, the same two teams will continue their series with a doubleheader Saturday starting at 4 p.m., in Fayette, Mo.  

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.