From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Missouri Southern’s ninth-inning rally fell short as Ouachita Baptist nipped the baseball Lions 5-4 on Saturday at Rab Rodgers Field.
Southern (1-10) and Ouachita (19-2), ranked second nationally in NCAA Division II, are scheduled today to play a 12:30 p.m. doubleheader.
“Today, we played winning baseball against an outstanding team,” Missouri Southern first-year coach Bryce Darnell said. “The wins will come if we can play well in consecutive games.
“We did some good things,” Darnell said. “We played errorless ball. We got timely hitting and good starting pitching. Those are the ingredients for winning baseball.”
Alec French drew a one-walk to start the Lions’ comeback in the ninth with the Tigers leading 5-3.
Junior right-hander Patrick Lemmond relieved and struck out Skyler Rawlins. Cliff Wheeler then doubled into left center to score French.
But Wheeler, seeing the relay bounce away a short distance, was thrown out trying to reach third to end the contest. It was the eighth save for Lemmond.
Second baseman Wheeler and shortstop Skyler Rawlins each had two hits and one RBI for the Lions. Center fielder Juan Hernandez, third baseman Gabe Wyatt, first baseman Scott Klassen and French had the other Southern hits.
Ouachita got two hits, including home runs, from right fielder Justin Pennell and second baseman JoeDan Poulter. They also combined for the five Tiger RBI.
Poulter’s two-run shot in the sixth snapped a 3-3 deadlock.
Lemmond’s save allowed Chase Baran, a junior left-hander, to boost his record to 4-0.
Darnell said junior right-hander Ryan Verfurth and junior southpaw Austin Lawrence will start on the mound today for MSSU. Darnell said Lawrence, coming off arm surgery, will be limited to 50 pitches.
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