Baseball Opens Home Series Against Mayville State

Marshall, Mo. (Feb. 27, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team hosted Mayville (N.D.) State in a non-conference doubleheader Friday afternoon to open a weekend series.  The Vikings led through most of the first game, but fell late by a 14-13 score, then lost the second game of the doubleheader.

Junior Pitcher Rowan Robinson (Calgary, Alberta) got out of a jam in the top of the first inning, as Mayville put two runners into scoring position with no outs.  Robinson then struck out two batters and induced a pop-up to get out the inning without surrendering a run.  The bottom half of the inning featured a one-out single from Senior Rightfielder Colton Campbell (Aledo, Texas), followed by a Junior Designated Hitter Masayoshi Hattori (Tokyo, Japan) walk.  The two moved into scoring position on a balk, and a wild pitch with two outs allowed Campbell to score and put Missouri Valley in front, 1-0.  Robinson took down the Comets in order in the top of the second inning, striking out two batters.  Mayville put together a rally in the top of the third, using three hits and one MVC error to score four runs and move in front, 4-1.  The Vikings countered with a long at-bat in the bottom half, all coming with two outs.  Freshman Third Baseman Brennan Nickerson (St. Louis, Mo.) and Senior Leftfielder Shumpei Kaneko (Saitama, Japan) walked, while Sophomore Second Baseman Sota Suzuki (Aichi, Japan) was hit to load the bases.  Freshman Centerfielder Aidan Bearden (Kansas City, Mo.) worked a walk to score Nickerson, and Freshman First Baseman Dalton Fritsche (Perryville, Mo.) singled home a pair of runs.  Later in the inning, Sophomore Shortstop Devin Norwood (Pearl, Miss.) singled to bring home a pair, and Hattori worked another bases-loaded walk to cap the six-run at-bat, and put Missouri Valley in front, 7-4.

More runs were scored in the fourth, as Mayville brought home two runs to cut the team's deficit to 7-6.  The bottom of the fourth featured an RBI single from Fritsche, and a wild pitch allowed Sophomore Pinch Runner Mykai Taylor (St. Louis, Mo.) to score and extend the Viking lead to 9-6.  The Comets put together a two-out rally in the fifth, using a sac-fly, passed ball and an RBI single to score three runs and tie the contest at 9-9.  Missouri Valley countered with a rally in the bottom of the inning, which started on a solo homer from Hattori.  Later, Suzuki brought home Sophomore Pinch Runner Bradley Johnson (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) on a double, and then came home on a Senior Centerfileder Filippo Bianchi  (Piacenza, Italy) single as MVC moved back in front, 12-9.  Freshman Pitcher Carson Rustemeyer (Jefferson City, Mo.) took down Mayville in the top of the sixth inning, striking out one batter.  The Vikings tacked on another run in the bottom half, as Johnson worked a bases-loaded walk to extend the advantage to 13-9.  The Comets rallied in the top of the seventh, hitting a pair of home runs to produce five total runs and take a 14-13 lead.  Missouri Valley was unable to put a runner on-base in the bottom of the seven inning, and fell by the 14-13 score.

Fritsche led with three hits, three RBIs and one run.  Suzuki had two hits, three runs scored and one RBI, while Hattori had two hits, two RBIs and one run.  Norwood added one hit, two RBIs and one run.  

The second game began with Mayville State going in front at the start, scoring one run in the top of the first inning.  Freshman Pitcher Cody McDonald (Mead, Colo.) came back to take down the Comets in order in the top of the second inning, striking out one batter.  The Comets responded with a rally in the top of the third inning, scoring six runs on five hits and two walks to stretch the team's lead out to 7-0.  Mayville State added another run in the fourth, then tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth.  The bottom of the fifth started with Suzuki and Bianchi both reaching safely.  Later in the inning, Mayville committed an error on a Norwood ball hit into the outfield, and Suzuki scored to cut into the deficit.  After a scoreless sixth inning, the Comets added more runs in the top of the seventh, and Missouri Valley fell by a 15-1 final score.

Suzuki had two hits and one run scored, and Hattori added two hits.  Norwood finished with one hit and one RBI.

The losses drop Missouri Valley to 0-12 overall and Mayville improves to 5-4.

Up next, the two teams will finish their weekend series with another doubleheader, starting at 12 p.m.  Games will be played at Marshall (Mo.) High School.

Game 1 Box Score-Click Here

Game 2 Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.