The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

JOPLIN, MO. -- The Truman baseball team were victims of a walk-off win in game one then fell into a deep hole in game two and were swept at Missouri Southern on Saturday by scores of 7-6 and 12-6.

The Bulldogs (1-15, 0-7 MIAA) fell behind 3-0 through the first two innings of the day’s opener before posting five runs in the third to take a 5-3 lead. Freshman Devon Myers delivered a two-run double to left as one of four Truman hits to serve as the inning’s big blow.

After Missouri Southern closed the gap to 5-4, the Bulldogs added a then-insurance run in the top of the seventh on a single by freshman Steven Rose to score fellow freshman Kody Stricklin.

The Lions, however, received a leadoff triple in the bottom half of the final inning that came around to score on a single to center to cut the lead to 6-5. Missouri Southern then came around to tie the game on an error by Bulldog third baseman Drew Garwood and send the game to extra innings.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Lions picked up a single through the middle of the infield to score a runner from second and pick up the 7-6 walkoff victory.

The second game saw a handful of runs at the outset for the host Lions, as Southern scored all 12 of their runs – including five in the first and four in the second – in the first four innings to jump on top of Truman 12-0. The Bulldog offense, held to just four hits through the first four innings, doubled their hit total in the seventh inning alone to score six runs.

Jake Smith (2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 2 SO) and Ryan Trimble (1.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R/ER) were saddled with the losses in games one and two for Truman. Smith was the third pitcher of the day for the Bulldogs in game one, as sophomore Kyle Veazey pitched 5.1 innings as the game’s starter.

Myers had a pair of two-hit days and totaled three RBI, while Garwood notched a three-hit effort in the nightcap. Rose logged a pair of RBI in the opener, while the team’s hitting leader, Keaton Jones, did the same in game two during his first action of the series.

The Bulldogs and Lions will wrap up their four-game series on Sunday in a nine-inning contest, starting at 12 p.m. in Joplin.

Courtesy: Truman State University