Season-ending split

May 04, 2008 11:47 pm

— By Ryan Atkinson
ratkinson@joplinglobe.com
On the final day of what has been a season of improvement, the Missouri Southern Lions showed that the future might be a promising one.
The Lions got solid pitching, timely hitting and a game-saving defensive play to beat the No. 23 nationally-ranked Central Missouri Mules in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday at Joe Becker Stadium.
The Mules answered with a 16-11 win in the nightcap, but not before the Lions roared back to tie the game after trailing 10-1.
“I would say that we played more consistently this weekend than we have all year,” MSSU coach Bryce Darnell said. “And that’s good to see when you consider that we came into this weekend knowing that whatever happened, win or lose, our season was going to end today.”
The Lions finish the season 19-33 and 16-20 in the MIAA, a five-game improvement in league play over last season. Their 16 conference wins are the most for the school since 2002. Central Missouri moves to 38-14 (26-8) and will be the No. 2 seed in the four-team MIAA tournament next weekend at Kansas City, Kan.
MSSU got a little bit of everything in the opener to beat the Mules for the first time since April 20, 2005.
Carl Junction freshman Chris Green pitched into the sixth and allowed just two runs while Derek Ezell drilled a two-run home run and Gabe Wyatt hit a run-scoring triple in the fifth to give the Lions a 3-2 lead heading into the top of the seventh.
That’s when the Lion defense made the biggest play of the day.
Central’s Brian McBryde ripped a two-out double to right and was then waved home with then potential tying run when Blaine Rutledge singled to right.
But MSSU sophomore right fielder C.J. Matthews fielded the ball cleanly and delivered a perfect throw to catcher Lee Hall, who applied the tag to secure the win.
“I knew it was a do-or-die play,” Matthews said. “I knew that either (McBryde) was going to score and be the hero, or I was going to throw him out. When it came off the bat I knew they were going to send (McBryde) home because he is a fast runner. I was just lucky enough to be able to make a play.”
Green went 5 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out three. Jacob Garrison and Scotty Roberson combined for two scoreless innings of relief.
“Green has a world of potential,” Darnell said. “He threw a great game today, probably the best he has thrown to this point.”
The Mules wasted no time in putting the close loss behind them, banging out three runs in the first, four in the second and three more in the third to take a 10-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth.
But, in another sign of improvement, the Lions answered back in a big way.
MSSU cracked eight hits — including a two-run home run from Matt Imrie, a two-run double off the center field wall from Ezell and a two-run single from Juan Hernandez, who had homered earlier in the first — to push across nine runs and knot the game at 10.
The Lions sent 14 batters to the plate in the inning, despite giving up an out with a sacrifice bunt.
Central Missouri pitcher Tom Latimore recorded the final out of the fourth and then pitched four more innings of solid relief, allowing just one run while striking out six.
That allowed the Mules to pull away again, scoring two in the fifth, three in the sixth and one more in the eighth.
“(Latimore) has been really good at coming in and getting us out of jams,” Central Missouri coach Tom Myers said. “He gave us a chance to stay in it and get the win, which is big. You don’t want to end the regular season by losing two games.”
Hernandez was 3-for-6 in the nightcap with three RBI and two runs while Imrie was 3-for-4 with four RBI. Ezell finished the second game 3-for-5 with two RBI and was 5-for-8 on the night.
Rutledge was 5-for-6 with five RBI and three runs in the nightcap for the Mules while Will Feil was 4-for-6 with five runs and three RBI. McBryde was 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.

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