Athletics Headlines: Baseball Sweeps McKendree

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April 8, 2008

Baseball Sweeps McKendree

The Missouri Baptist University baseball team avenged Saturday's losses to McKendree University, by getting a double header sweep of the Bearcats on Monday. They improve to 21-9 overall, and take the lead of the American Midwest Conference with a record of 6-2.

Senior right hander Matt Murray pitched five strong innings and senior designated hitter Joel Johnson was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and five runs batted in. The Spartans scored three runs in the first inning and two in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Murray was strong throughout. In his five innings of work, Murray surrendered five hits and two runs. Clayton Dill pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh inning for his second save of the season.

The Spartans pounded out 11 hits. Assisting Johnson on the offensive side was Riley Gavello and Clint Massey. Both were 2-for-4 on the day.

The Spartans won game two 6-2, with another strong pitching performance for the Spartans. Derek Drewett pitched into the seventh inning to lead the Spartans. After allowing a single run in the first inning, the only other run for the Bearcats was scored on a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. Drewett pitched out of trouble in the fifth and sixth innings. He induced a bases loaded, one-out 6-4-3 double play to end the sixth inning. He struck out nine, walked three, and gave up one unearned run to move his record to 3-1. Drewett allowed the first two runners to reach in the seventh inning. Sophomore Tyler Andreason came on to retire the next three hitters on a strike out, pop up and strike out. Andreason earned his first save of the season.

Offensively, the Spartans were led by the senior trio of Francisco Vega, Brandon Patek and Joel Johnson. Vega was 2-for-2 with a run scored. Patek was 1-for-4 with a two-run home run that put the Spartans ahead 5-2, and Joel Johnson added his second home run of the day two batters later for the final score of 6-2. Scott Talbert added a two-out single in the third inning that tallied two runs and gave the Spartans the lead for good.

Today's home games against Union University have been rescheduled to Wednesday because of the threatening weather.