Box Score

A dramatic come from behind rally would not be enough for the Dallas Baptist Baseball Team, as the Patriots fell 5-3 in ten innings to the Missouri State Bears at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Friday afternoon.  The loss places DBU (38-19, 14-7) and Missouri State (26-30, 9-12) in an elimination game later today, with the winner advancing to the MVC Tournament Championship Game tomorrow night versus Illinois State.

Down 3-1 heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, the Patriots scored two runs with two outs to tie the game at three apiece, forcing extra innings.  In the tenth, the Bears would post two runs off DBU reliever, Joseph Shaw, to take a 5-3 lead, before closing out the Patriots in the tenth. 

Missouri State struck first in their half of the first inning when DBU starter, Cory Taylor, walked the bases loaded and then gave up his fourth base on balls of the inning, plating Trey Massenberg with the first run.  Taylor would work out of the jam striking out the next two batters he faced. 

In the bottom of the second, a sacrifice bunt scored Justin Wall from third to tie the game at one.  DBU and Missouri State remained tied until the seventh inning, when Dylan Becker beat out a double play ball, allowing to Massenberg to score from third.  The Bears would tack on more run in the eighth inning on an RBI Aaron Meyer singled to left.

Missouri State starter, Jon Harris, worked seven-and-two-third innings before being pulled in the eighth for Jake Powers.  Harris allowed just one run versus the Patriots, while striking out six.

With Powers on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, DBU would begin to mount a comeback when Wall singled to left.  After a Martinelli single pushed Wall to second, RJ Talamantes grounded into a double play.  With Wall standing on third and two outs, Camden Duzenack ripped a two out double to left center field, pulling DBU to within one run.  Nash Knight followed with a single to right, plating the tying run. 

After Mike Wesolowski narrowly missed a walk-off homerun to right field, before the ball sliced foul, the senior from Mesa, Arizona, struck out to end the rally.
A one out walk issued by Shaw in the tenth, would lead to a run, when pinch hitter, Trey Hair, punched a pitch into center field, scoring Eric Cheray.  Hair came home to score the second run of the inning on a Shaw wild pitch.

With the loss, DBU turns around to play Missouri State 40 minutes following the completion of today's game.  Drew Smith is scheduled to get the start on the mound versus the Bears. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
* Today's loss marks just the second loss versus Missouri State in eight games this year.
* DBU starter, Cory Taylor, issued a career-high eight walks, while striking out eight in 6.1 innings.
* After going 0-for-4 in the opening round game of the tournament, Camden Duzenack is 6-for-his-last-8.
* The top three batters in DBU's lineup today combined to go 0-for-13.