(Peru, Neb.) – By virtue of sweeping the Missouri Valley College Vikings on Saturday, the Peru State baseball team has gained the third seed in the upcoming Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Post-season Tournament. The Bobcats won game one 9-7 in ten innings and then took a 6-0 victory in the second game.
With the wins, the 'Cats improved to 30-17 overall and 16-10 in the HAAC, finishing second in the Western Division. The Vikings fell to 10-31 overall and 9-17 in conference play and will be the seventh seed in the tournament.
The tourney begins on Thursday in Joplin, Mo., at the Wendell Redden Stadium. Unofficially, Peru State will play at 4 p.m. in the third game of the tournament against the sixth-seeded Central Methodist University Eagles.
Mo Valley Game One Action The Vikings took an early lead in the first game on Saturday which was rain-delayed. Mo Valley scored in the bottom of the first, taking a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the second, the Bobcats got on the scoreboard. After an out,
Santiesteban went three for five to lead the Bobcats. Barnes and Croushorn each added two hits. Croushorn drive in three RBI while Alonzo and Wright each were credited with two RBI.
The Bobcats scored their six runs on six hits and had one miscue. The Vikings were held to one hit and had two errors.
Six Bobcats each had one hit in the game – Alonzo, Melendez, Santiesteban, Barnes, Davis, and Croushorn. Davis led the team with two RBI.
Miguel Navarro (San Jacinto, Calif.) went the first six innings and earned the win for Peru State. Navarro allowed just one hit and struck out six. Melendez threw the final one inning and struck out two.
MO VALLEY GAME TWO BOX SCORE
HAAC Post-season Tournament
Unofficially, Mid-America Nazarene University will have the top seed in the tournament and will play eighth-seeded Benedictine College at 10 a.m. on Thursday. In the second game of the day, fourth-seeded Culver-Stockton College will take on fifth-seeded Baker University at 1 p.m. Following the Peru State game, the final game of the evening will pit second-seeded Evangel University against Missouri Valley College at 7 p.m. This is a true double-elimination tournament.
With a win, the Bobcats would play at 7 p.m. on May 2 against either Evangel or Missouri Valley. If Peru State would lose, they would drop to the loser's bracket and face the loser of Evangel or Missouri Valley at 1 p.m. on Friday.
The tournament will continue on Saturday with the championship scheduled for Monday. If a second game is necessary in the championship, it would be played on Tuesday, May 6.
