Jeff Weseloh (SBU Sports Information) Ozark, Mo. – A 9th inning rbi single from Clint Jack lifted the SBU Baseball team to a 9-8 victory over Drury in the annual Bank of Bolivar Spring Highway 13 Catfight. With the win the Bearcats improve to 10-6 on the season.
The Bearcats opened up the game with three runs in the top half of the first inning. Caleb Sneed led the game off with a double down the left field line, followed by an rbi double from Chance Wolfe to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead. Hunter Hisky then doubled home Wolfe, extending the SBU lead to 2-0. After a pair of outs, Nelson Muniz produced the fourth double of the inning for SBU, scoring Hisky, to give SBU a 3-0 lead. Drury responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, but after a scoreless second, SBU once again re-took the lead in the third.
After Urbieta reached on a single to center field, he advanced to second on a groundout, and came home on an rbi single from Muniz. In the fourth the Bearcats extended their lead to 5-3 after Cody Massey tripled to right field to lead the inning off and came home on an rbi groundout from Jack. Again Drury came back to tie the game again in the bottom of the fourth, but SBU broke the tie two innings later.
In the top of the sixth with two outs, Sneed drew a walk followed by a Wolfe single to right center. Hisky then hit a bases clearing triple, giving SBU a 7-5 lead, before being brought home on an rbi single by Jovany Urbieta. However, the back-and-forth battle continued as Drury plated three runs in the bottom of th eighth to tie the game at 8-8. In the top of the ninth with two outs in the inning Massey singled through the right side and came home a batter later on an rbi single to right center by Jack which proved to be the game winner as SBU went on to claim the 9-8 victory.
The Bearcats will quickly return to action on Thursday, March 9 when they host Fort Hays State in game one of a three-game series. Opening pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. from Dodson Field in Bolivar.
