By MATT PIKE
The St. Joseph Mustangs put up 10 hits, but struggled to bring runners across home plate, stranding 11 on the base paths, as the Nevada Griffons handed the Mustangs a second consecutive loss, 11-3 on the road.
After the Griffons scored the opening run in the second inning, St. Joseph tied up the game in the fourth on a ground out by Eden Meyers, scoring Missouri Western's Micah Kobuszewski, after the outfielder singled and stole second to open the inning. Nevada though scored a run in the fifth inning, and added two more in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead over the Mustangs.
A sacrifice fly from Kobuszewski in the seventh inning cut the lead in half, scoring Benton alum Chris Coy after he walked with one out in the inning, moving Missouri Western's Seth Winkler to third and Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart to second. But with two in scoring position, Lafayette alum Jayden Little struck out to end the inning. In the bottom half, the Griffons extended the lead again though, a three run home run giving Nevada a 7-2 lead.
An RBI single from Coy in the eighth inning brought home Charles Stevens for the final Mustangs run. In the bottom half again though, the Griffons added on with the final three runs on an RBI single, a two RBI triple, and a groundout that drove in the final run of the game.
Bryson Augustyn took the loss, pitching three innings and giving up three runs on five hits, walking one with one strikeout. At the plate, Coy was 3-for-4 with an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Luikart was 2-for-5, while Norman Davis was 2-for-4. Kobuszewski was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base.
The Mustangs are now 2-3, 1-2 in the MINK League, and return to St. Joseph and the comforts of Phil Welch Stadium for a three game homestand, starting Thursday against the Kansas City Monarchs. First pitch will be at 6:30pm.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.