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BOLIVAR, MO. -- The Bulldog baseball team raced out to a big lead in game one on Saturday taking the opener 8-2 but couldn’t keep up with the Southwest Baptist University Bearcats in the nightcap as SBU salvaged the last game of the set 11-9. Truman will be in action on Tuesday at Lincoln University for an MIAA twinbill.

Michael Reese, who hit .563 for the series with five runs scored, a double, triple, five runs batted in and a .813 slugging percentage, got things started on Saturday by drawing a lead off walk. Steven Rose then hit a triple to bring home Reese to give the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish. Devon Myers followed with a single and Daniel Jewett doubled in the inning as Truman scored three times.

Reese doubled with two outs in the second to start another three-run inning and the Bulldogs scored single tallies in the fourth and sixth.

Tyler Stefan departed after five strong innings, allowed five hits and no runs and Michael Staihr extending the Bulldog shutout streak to 30 1/3 innings. Jordan McLaughlin gave up an RBI double and RBI single in the seventh to halt the string of scoreless innings by the Bulldog staff.

Game two remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when a lead off triple by Tyler Christophel sparked a four-run inning off of Kyle Veazey.

Truman would answer the big inning with one of their own started by Kenny Swanson’s leadoff double and closing with a bases clearing triple by Reese. Rose hit a sac fly to record his sixth RBI in the series to put the Bulldogs on top.

Paden Grubbs would chase Veazey an inning later with a two run home run to retake the lead for the Bearcats and a fielders choice put SBU up 7-5 after five.

The ‘Dogs would tie the game in the sixth with a double by Dan Plecki and a single by Jewett but SBU would score four more times in the sixth as a walk and hit batsman came into score off a double, triple and wild pitch.

Truman scored twice in the top of the ninth and had the go ahead run at the plate but Jewett flied out to left to end the game and the Bulldogs four-game winning streak.

The Bulldogs have won seven of their last nine games and won their last two MIAA series’ before starting a doubleheader with Lincoln on Tuesday and a four-game series at home with Fort Hays State next weekend.

Inside the Series: Michael Reese has nine multi-hit games after going 9-for-16 (.563) in the series with five RBIs and had an on-base percentage of .632…four Bulldogs hit over .400 for the set with Reese, Jewett (.500), Devon Myers (.462) and Dan Plecki (.417)…as a team Truman hit .323…Steven Rose had a series-high six runs batted in…three Truman starters put up a 0.00 ERA while SBU hit just .218 for the series…the Bulldog pitching staff recorded 25 strikeouts to seven walks with Jarrett Eiskina leading the way with 10Ks.

 (Courtesy Truman State Athletics Department)