On the day that MNU was receiving votes in the Top-25 poll for the second time in program history, the Pioneers scored 33 runs (including 9 homers and 11 doubles ) in a double header sweep at Missouri Valley on Tuesday.
Box and Play by Play In Game 1,
Dillon Moeller got MNU on the board in the 3rd inning with a 3-run homer, but Valley rallied in the middle innings to take a 6-5 lead heading to the 6th.
The 6th inning was an offensive output never before seen in Pioneer history. Three different players batted 3 times, 4 balls left the yard, and MNU included back-to-back-to-back homers.
Colin Starr led off the inning by reaching on an error.
Kevin Liddle followed with a bunt single.
Dillon Moeller reached on another error.
Derek Glenn and
Kyle Segraves followed with singles ahead of a
Timothy Barraza double. After a
Ben Alison walk and a
Josh Greer RBI double,
Alex Murrieta singled them both home. Then the long balls began.
Colin Starr nailed a 1-2 pitch over the center field fence. After a strikeout and a hit batsman,
Derek Glenn and
Kyle Segraves drove in runs with back-to-back doubles. A lineout gave Valley the second out of the inning, but MNU was not done.
Ben Alison,
Josh Greer, and
Alex Murrieta homered in consecutive at bats to give MNU 16 runs in the inning. An error, a single, and a groundout closed out the epic top of the 6th, and the Pioneers finished out the game with a 21-6 victory.
Kannon Hoover picked up the win in relief. And
Derek Glenn (3-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI),
Kyle Segraves (3-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI),
Timothy Barraza (1-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI),
Ben Alison (1-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB),
Josh Greer (3-3, 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB),
Alex Murrieta (3-5, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI),
Colin Starr (1-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, HBP), and
Dillon Moeller (1-3, 3 R, HR, 4 RBI, 2 HBP) had multi-RBI games. And not to be overlooked,
Kevin Liddle (2-4, 2 R, SAC) had 2 hits and 2 runs.
Box and Play by Play In Game 2,
Alex Murrieta went 5-5 and
Colin Starr belted 2 more homers in a 12-6 victory. The Pioneers put together a 4-run 2nd innning and figured to be on their way to another blowout, but the Vikings rallied for 4 in the bottom of the inning and added another in the 3rd to take the lead. The lead was short-lived, however, and MNU pushed 2 across in the 4th to re-take the lead. Valley tied it again with a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the 4th, but they wouldn't score again.
Derek Glenn's bases loaded double drove in 2 in the 5th, and
Ben Alison &
Colin Starr homered in the 6th to highlight 6 unanswered runs to account for the 12-6 victory.
Matt Netherton pitched into the 6th for the victory. And
Derek Glenn (3-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI),
Kyle Segraves (3-5, R, RBI),
Ben Alison (1-5, R, HR, 2 RBI),
Alex Murrieta (5-5, 3 R, 3 2B, RBI),
Colin Starr (2-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI), and
Kevin Liddle (2-3, 2 R, 2B, BB) led the offense.
The Pioneers are 20-6 (5-1 HAAC). The next game is a double header on Friday at home vs. Peru State (16-8, 3-3) at 1:00.
NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll
