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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

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T.J. Sparr
9
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 29-14, 21-8 MIAA
7
Missouri Southern MSSU 23-17, 11-15 MIAA
Winner
Central Oklahoma UCO
29-14, 21-8 MIAA
9
Final
7
Missouri Southern MSSU
23-17, 11-15 MIAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Central Oklahoma UCO 0 2 1 0 1 2 0 0 3 9 12 0
Missouri Southern MSSU 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 7 11 1

W: Culver, Tyler (8-0) L: Mesey,S (2-1) S: Rutland, Josh (6)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

T.J. Sparr Sparks Bronchos To Win In Joplin

JOPLIN, Mo. - The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team beat Missouri Southern 9-7 Tuesday night in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play at Turner Field. 

Central improves to 29-14 with the win and is now 21-8 in league play. After neither team could win two in a row in this series in nearly three seasons, the Bronchos swept the MIAA series against Missouri Southern this year 3-0, though the Lions did edge the Bronchos in a non-conference game in February.

"It's good to finish a long road trip with a win," UCO head coach John Martin said. "We needed to respond after a bad couple of days and we did. That's good to see. Now it's time to get home and focus on this final stretch."

UCO got the scoring started in the top of the second inning. Xavier Freeman drew a walk and advanced to third when T.J. Sparr reached on a fielder's choice when the Missouri Southern shortstop made a fielding error. Sparr also moved up to second on the play. Bryant Klusener singled to center field to score both Freeman and Sparr.

Kyle Miskovsky led off the the top of the third with a solo home run on the first pitch he saw to make it 3-0 UCO.

Missouri Southern scored four in the bottom of the third of UCO starter Tyler Culver to take the lead. But the Bronchos had their starter's back. 

In the top of the fifth, Jake Dyer smacked a one-out single, which was also the 200th hit of his career. The senior outfielder from Oklahoma City became just the second Broncho in school history to reach the 200-hit mark for his career. UCO Hall of Famer John Rogers is the all-time leader with 227 hits. Paul Kropf scored Dyer with a two-out double.

Sparr made it 6-4 Bronchos in the top of the sixth with one swing of the bat. With Dayne Sommer drawing a lead-off walk, Sparr belted a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence to put the Bronchos ahead.

Missouri Southern got close in the bottom of the eighth. Mike Million hit a solo homer off Ben Wusterbarth to bring the Lions to within one. Josh Rutland then got MSSU to hit into an inning-ending double play to keep the Bronchos ahead.

Sparr came up to bat one more time in the ninth with Sommer and Freeman on base - Brock Ruminer was also on ahead of Freeman as a pinch-runner but was picked off. Sparr then blasted another 1-0 pitch, this time to left center, to give the Bronchos a 9-5 lead.

Sparr was 2-for-4 on the day with two homers and three runs scored. He had five RBIs in the effort. Dyer also finished 2-for-4, and Kyle Miskovsky and Kropf each went 2-for-5.

Culver finished with five innings pitched, two strikeouts and three walks, as he allowed four earned runs on six hits. Junior Obeso threw a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Landon Bond threw 2/3 of an inning in the seventh, retiring both batters he faced. 

Wusterbarth got the Bronchos out of the seventh, but was replaced by Rutland before recording an out in the inning. Wusterbarth finished with 1/3 of an inning pitched, one strikeout, and allowed two hits and one home run.

Rutland allowed a pair of runs in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single and an RBI double to follow, and then later a sacrifice-fly, before getting the Bronchos out of Joplin 9-7 winners over Missouri Southern.

UCO is done with road contests for the 2018 regular season. The Bronchos host Missouri Western this weekend for three games, Northeastern State next Wednesday for a single game, and Northwest Missouri in two weeks for the final three games of the season.
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