THE LEAD
A combination of big pitches in key situations and a relentless offensive attack helped the DBU Patriots advance to their third Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title game in their four seasons in the league. Ray Gaither pitched six complete innings, striking out six, and Dalton Higgins completed the final three innings of the game to help DBU (39-19) hang on to a 6-5 win over Indiana State Sycamores (29-26). Matt Duce and Devlin Granberg picked up all the RBI for DBU as Duce slugged his way to four RBI, including two on a first inning home run, and Granberg collected three hits and the other two RBI. Jameson Hannah also had three of the Patriots' eleven hits and scored two runs.
 
Duce opened the scoring for DBU with a homerun in the first inning off Sycamore starter Ryan Keaffaber. Austin Listi walked with two outs and Duce made a bid for a 2-0 Patriot lead with a long fly ball to the base of the foul pole in rightfield. That ball was called foul and confirmed upon replay, but it did not matter as two pitches later, Duce hit a ball to right center field that cleared the wall with plenty of distance and no question about being within the boundary lines.
 
The Sycamores opened their scoring in the second inning off Gaither thanks in part to two singles with two outs and then a passed ball that allowed them to cut the lead in half. They took the lead in the third inning off Gaither with a leadoff walk and a home run by Clay Dungan down the left field line to the short porch at Hammons Field.
 
Neither team scored in the fourth inning before DBU reclaimed the lead in the fifth. Hannah and Granberg hit back-to-back doubles to open the inning to tie the game and, after a passed ball, Granberg scored from third on Duce's RBI groundout to shortstop. Duce later picked up his fourth RBI of the night in the seventh inning to give the Patriots some breathing room as Dan Heefner went to his bullpen in the bottom of the inning.
 
Gaither got through the sixth inning unscathed, but had to get some help from his infield. The Sycamores put a runner on third with one out and threatened to tie the game at four. Heefner elected to bring the infield in and that decision proved wise as Gaither induced a groundball to Camden Duzenack and the Patriot shortstop was able to easily cut down the run at the plate.
 
Gaither's night ended one pitch into the seventh inning as Brandt Nowaskie tripled to right center field and Dalton Higgins came in out of the pen. Higgins struck out the first batter he faced, but a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cody Gardner pulled the Sycamores back to within one run.
 
Higgins also had to pitch around danger in the eighth inning. The Sycamores got a leadoff double to put the tying run in scoring position, but Higgins stranded that run with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout. The Patriot offense answered in the ninth inning as Jon Skidmore doubled to lead off the inning and scored on Devlin Granberg's single through the infield.
 
That insurance run would loom large as ISU's Dominic Bifano lifted a solo home run off Higgins to open the ninth inning and cut the lead back to one. Higgins answered the bell, however, to strike out the next batter he faced and then got a groundout and a flyball to centerfield to close out the game and record his eighth career save.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots await the winner between Illinois State and Missouri State and will play in their third MVC Tournament Championship game in four years since DBU joined The Valley in 2014.
- DBU and Indiana State have played nine one-run games over the past four seasons and the Patriots are 6-3 in those games.
- Since making five errors on Wednesday against Bradley, the Patriots have played errorless baseball in the last two games.
 
DBU HEAD COACH DAN HEEFNER ON THE JOB GAITHER & HIGGINS DID ON THE MOUND
"Ray did a super job for us.  That was one of his best starts of the year.  He got out of some jams and made pitches when we needed him to and that's our motto, 'winners find a way.'  Being great is being your best in a big situation and he was great today.  Then Dalton toughed it out in some pressure spots and he loves being in that role."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
83 – Jameson Hannah now has 83 hits on the season, which is tied with Evan Bigley for the ninth most hits in a single-season in DBU's Division I history.
8 – Dalton Higgins notched his eighth career save, which is tied with Stuart Pudenz and Joseph Shaw for the sixth most saves in DBU's Division I era.
9 – Matt Duce, Devlin Granberg, and Jameson Hannah combined for nine of the Patriots' 11 hits, as all three picked up three hits on the day.
 
UP NEXT
DBU will face the winner of the other side of the bracket, Illinois State or Missouri State, on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.