JOPLIN, Mo. — The 16th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team swept a double-header at Southwest Baptist today, winning 11-6 in game one and 10-0 in game two.
The Lions (26-11, 17-6 MIAA) got three RBIs each from Jon Leighton and Mike Million in game one, while Southern hit five home runs in one inning in game two and also picked up a complete-game shutout from Zac Shoemaker.
Southern had 15 hits in game one as seven different Lions had two hits each. Million and Leighton drove in three runs each with Leighton picking up a home run in the ninth. Freddie Landers had a home run, while Denver Coffee had a double and a triple. Landers and Coffee scored three times each.
Zach Parish started and went five innings, striking our 11 to move to 6-0 on the season. River Wright, Joey Reeves, Bradly Hershey and Logan VanWey threw in relief.
SBU (12-23, 6-17 MIAA) was led offensively from Sam Avila with two hits and three RBIS. Caleb Sneed scored three times.
Game two saw the Lions break open a pitchers’ duel with five home runs in the seventh inning. Alex Phillips started the scoring with a two-run bomb to score Million. Coffee and Miller homered, before an RBI double from Swims made the score 5-0. Landers hit his second homer of the day to score Swims and Million finished up the home run barrage with a shot to right, making the score 8-0 after seven.
Dan Lenz had an RBI double in the eighth, while Joe Kinder had a sacrifice fly in the ninth to score Landers.
Shoemaker went the distance for the complete-game shutout, striking out seven in the process.
The five home runs in the game tie a single-game record for the Lions, one that was tied last weekend, as well.
The two teams will be back in action tomorrow, finishing up the series. The game has been moved up a half an hour, starting at 11:30 am now.
