ST. LOUIS –
Michael Gould hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to send Maryville to an 8-7 win over Southwest Baptist University on Friday afternoon.
Southwest Baptist Recap
SBU scored in the top of the first with three straight one-out singles to take a 1-0 lead. Starting pitcher
Jacob Kroeger struck the next two batters out swinging to work the rest of the way out of the jam.
The Saints did not answer until the bottom of the second inning.
Michael Gould started his big day with a single through the right side and came in to score on
Ben Hopkins' two-run, go-ahead blast to right field.
Brad Willis drove in another run later in the inning with an RBI down the left-field line.
Kroeger surrendered another run in the third but settled down in the fourth and fifth innings with scoreless frames. With their lead cut to one, Maryville struck for a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth before a lightning delay went into effect.
Noah Arras, now on in relief for Kroeger after the long delay, picked up a strikeout in a scoreless sixth.
Dominic Connolly and
Elias Stevens extended their team's lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly and an infield single.
The Bearcats kept fighting, however. The visitors scored two in the seventh and blasted a game-tying three-run home run in the top of the ninth to set the stage in the bottom of the ninth.
After the new relief pitcher got the first out of the inning, Gould stepped up and took a 1-1 offering over the left-field fence for a dramatic walk-off home run to send the Saints to an 8-7 win.
The victory gave the Saints sole possession over second place in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Green division, just two games out from the first place Drury University Panthers with seven left to play.
Winning Pitcher: Geo Camfield (2-4)
Losing Pitcher: Matt Scott (1-5)
Hitting Leaders:
Michael Gould: 3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Ben Hopkins: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Brad Willis: 2-for-5, 2 2B, RBI
Records:
Maryville: 24-18, 13-8 GLVC
Southwest Baptist: 8-34, 3-18 GLVC
What's Next?
The series against the Bearcats continues with a 3 p.m. start on Saturday, April 29.
