Wildcats Trade Blows with Pioneers in Series Split

OLATHE/SHAWNEE, Kan. - After a strong start to the series, Baker baseball settled for a split in a key Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup with MidAmerica Nazarene this past weekend.

With both teams in the mix for one of the top-eight spots for the Heart Tournament, the Wildcats claimed back-to-back wins on Friday, 5-1 and 7-5, before falling in Saturday's twin bill, 6-5 and 16-8.

BU 5, MNU 1
Playing at the MidAmerica Sports Complex in Shawnee, Kan., on Friday, Baker provided enough run support for its ace Camden Karlin, who held the Pioneers to just one run, in a 5-1 victory in game one.

Karlin turned in another durable outing in the opener, tossing his fifth complete game of the season while allowing just one run over seven innings. Despite having 11 hits tagged against him, he was able to work around the constant traffic on the bases and struck out five to improve to 6-2 in his ninth start of the year.

Baker scored all five of its runs in the first three innings, starting off with a clutch two-out hit from Zach Miller, who drove in the game's first two runs on a bases-loaded single in the top of the first. Pinch-runner Jayden Ford, who came on to run after Blake Prewitt's leadoff double, made it a 3-0 lead in the second after scoring on an MNU error on Carson Adams' infield single.

In the top of the third, Jon Jenkins followed up TJ Armstrong's single with a liner to left that allowed Armstrong to score from second before Adams tacked on his second RBI of the game with a sac fly to give the Wildcats a 5-0 advantage.

BU 7, MNU 5
The Wildcats benefited from another solid start from their pitching staff and used a six-run stretch midway through to hold on for a 7-5 win and complete the Friday doubleheader sweep.

BU starter Tyler Vigna went six innings and allowed just two runs until a seventh-inning rally from the Pioneers finally chased him. Like Karlin, Vigna also recorded his sixth win of the spring and closer Gage Callaghan earned his fifth save after squashing MNU's comeback attempt in the seventh.

Adams registered his second straight multi-RBI game with another pair in Friday's nightcap. Tyson Kiser and Karlin also drove in two runs apiece as Kiser lifted a sacrifice fly in the second inning and added an RBI single in the fourth, following up Karlin's sac fly earlier in the inning to give Baker a 3-0 lead.

After MNU scored its first run, the Wildcats came through with a crucial four-run top of the fifth. Brayden Walker drew a bases-loaded walk, Adams tagged a two-RBI double and Karlin knocked in his second run to make it a 7-1 advantage for BU.

MNU 6, BU 5
On Saturday at MNU's field, Baker was one out away from taking its third straight, but the Pioneers won the game on a three-run, walk-off home run.

The Wildcats were the ones who looked liked they would be pulling out a come-from-behind win after MNU plated three runs in the bottom of the first. BU clawed its way back with a Jenkins homer in the second and back-to-back RBI doubles from Kiser and Jackson Truman in the third.

Kiser continued to be a thorn in the side for MNU, accounting for a go-ahead run in the fifth before coming right back with another RBI single in his next at-bat to give Baker a 5-3 lead in the top of the seventh before the Pioneers' walkoff in the bottom-half.

MNU 16, BU 8
After being kept largely in check earlier in the series, MNU's lineup broke through in a big way in the finale, defeating the Wildcats to force the weekend split.

The Pioneers opened up with five runs in the bottom of the first and padded on two more five-run frames to run away late with the game. BU got within one in the third thanks to a couple of miscues from the MNU defense and a two-run single from Karlin.

With MNU smacking a few home runs to build its huge lead, Armstrong plated a couple for BU on a bases-loaded single in the sixth. Adams roped an RBI double and Karlin added an RBI groundout to bring across the Wildcats' final runs.

Up next, Baker will head to Leavenworth, Kan., on Wednesday, April 15, to take on Saint Mary, finishing up a weather-delayed contest from earlier in the month before playing a full-length game in a makeshift doubleheader. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

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