Florence, Kentucky—On Saturday, April 30 the Mount St. Joseph University Baseball Program hosted the Spartans of Manchester University. Entering this contest, the Lions carried a (13-21) overall record into this series, while the Spartans held a (7-24) record. Before the start of game one, the Lions held their 2022 Senior day ceremony, where they honored the careers of Jacob Hughes, Tyrell Anderson, Joshua Hagans, Ian Mustard and Nick Heil.
Game One: MU 9 MSJ 6
In the top of the first inning, the Spartans plated three runs. They would follow this effort with one run in the top of the second to jumped ahead 4-0. Again in the top of the fourth, Manchester added two more runs. In the bottom of the fifth the Lions scored their first run of the game, thanks to an RBI single off the bat of Anton Mere.
The home half of the sixth saw the Lions score four runs to bring the score to 6-5 heading into the seventh. Andrew Harrison started the hit parade with an RBI double. Later in the inning Zack McKenna came to the plate with two runners on and drove a home run into deep left field.
The top of the ninth saw the Spartans tack on three insurance runs. Trailing by four, the Lions were able to plate one run in their last attempt before falling short by a final of 9-6.
The Lions offense was led by the right fielder, Mere, who finished the game three for three with one RBI and a walk. The pair of Joshua Hagans and Andrew Harrison finished with two hits individually, McKenna's three run homer saw him finish the game with one hit and three RBI.
Game Two: MSJ 8 MU 7
Game two had similar makings to game one of the double header, as Manchester scored three in the top of the first and two in the top of the third. It was a Zach McKenna RBI single, in the bottom of fourth, that ended the Spartans shutout attempt. In the top of fifth Manchester responded with two runs to make the score 7-1.
The bottom of the sixth saw the Lions cut into the Manchester lead. McKenna came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a sharp ground ball into the glove of the third basemen. The runner at third was able to cross the plate while Manchester turned a 5-3 double play. In the next time to the plate, the Mount pushed four runs across the plate. Jake Sanders found his way on-base with a leadoff walk and scored from first on an Anton Mere single into left center field. Two quick outs followed these events, before Josh Hagans doubled into left center to push Mere across the plate. While the Spartans attempted to throw the speedy Mere out at home, Hagans was able to sneak to third base. Anderson was hit by a pitch following Hagans double and then stole second. With two runners in scoring position Freshman Catcher Tyler Herbers came up with one of the biggest hits of the afternoon, driving a ball into deep left field that went down as a two run double. Heading into the top of the eighth the Lions now only trailed 7-6.
A scoreless eighth inning by both clubs set the stage for the Lions to try and walk off the game in the bottom of the ninth. Leadoff hitter, Jake Lawson started the inning with a double, deep down the right field line. Ryan Murray drew a walk, then Hagans was asked to move the tying and go-ahead run into scoring position, with a sacrifice bunt. With the game in balance, the Coaching staff of Manchester chose to intentionally walk the power hitting Anderson. This brought Herbers to the plate who roped a ball that almost got past the Manchester short stop, before Herbers beat the throw at first. This pushed the game tying run across the plate. With the bases still loaded, McKenna came to the plate and crushed a ball into left field to walk off the game by a final score of 8-7.
The Lions saw contributions from several players on their way to a massive comeback win. Herbers finished the game two for four, including a double, with three big RBI. McKenna continued his impressive hitting streak with a two hits and two RBI. The pair of Hagans and Mere each collected one hit and one RBI on the game.
On the mound, Derek Richter entered the game in relief. Richter continued his dominant stretch of Baseball, pitching four and two-thirds innings, scattering four hits, surrendering no runs and striking out four batters. This performance allowed the Lions to climb back into the game and earned him his second win of the season.
With the final home game of the 2022 season, the Lions look to continue their climb up the Heartland standings in their final double header of the season. This series will take place on Friday, May 6 at Bluffton University. First pitch is scheduled for 1 PM. For continued coverage of these upcoming games and all other MSJ Athletics, continue to follow msjlions.com
