Scots score four in the sixth to win AMC opening round
Lyon Athletics
Matthew Jagodzinsky, Director of Sports Information
JOPLIN, Mo. – Kylan Barnett and Kyle West ignited a four-run sixth inning rally with back-to-back solo home runs as the No. 1-seeded Lyon College baseball team knocked off No. 8-seed Central Baptist College, 5-2, to open up the American Midwest Conference Baseball Championships on Wednesday.
Lyon improved its overall record to 35-13 with the win, while CBC dropped to 26-27.
GAME FLOW
Wednesday’s matchup displayed two of the top pitchers in the conference in Tyler Tognarine of Lyon and Ben Madison of CBC. The Mustangs scratched a run across in the bottom of the first as the score remained the same until the Scots tied the game in the top of the fifth. Tristan Buschow scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1.
Barnett and West opened up a four-run sixth-inning rally for the Scots with back-to-back solo home runs. Logan Reddick laid down a well-placed bunt down the third-base line after the two home runs to catch the CBC defense off guard. CBC appeared as if they would limit the Scots to just the two runs in the inning after getting two quick outs following the bunt-single by Reddick, but Tanner Seibel drove a ball into the gap in right-center field for an RBI triple to plate Reddick. Gunner Starr then came on as a pinch hitter and added an insurance run for the Scots with an RBI single up the middle to give Lyon a 5-1 advantage.
Baker Wilson drove in a run for the Mustangs with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, but that would be as close as CBC would get as Tognarine shut down Central Baptist in order in the ninth.
Tognarine earned a complete-game victory on the mound as he allowed just two runs on seven hits while striking out four. He improved to 8-4 on the bump.
Barnett went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of walks to lead the Scots offensively.
WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE SCOTS
The Lyon College baseball team will return to tournament action on Thursday at 4 p.m. against the winner of (4) Columbia College/(5) William Woods.