By MATT PIKE
The St. Joseph Mustangs are heating up at the right time as the regular season nears its end, scoring another run rule victory over the Chillicothe Mudcats winning 12-1 in eight innings to move their win streak to nine.
Brayden Luikart drove in the first two runs of the game in the first and the third innings, both times scoring Micah Kobuszewski. In the opening inning Luikart grounded out to score Kobuszewski from third, after Kobuszewski led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, and stole third on a strikeout by Seth Winkler. In the third, Luikart reached first on an error by left fielder Nick Blakeney, driving in Kobuszewski who doubled earlier in the inning.
The Mustangs held the 2-0 lead until the seventh inning, when they added five more runs. Kobuszewski's hot day at the plate continued with a leadoff double in the inning, and he scored in the next at bat on a single from Winkler. A triple from Luikart drove in Winkler, and Luikart came home with one out, following a strikeout by Jayden Little, on a wild pitch. Tyler Gundelfinger walked, and moved to third with two outs on an error by first baseman Canon Creason, following a Carter Belton single. Gundelfinger came home on a wild pitch, and Belton scored on an RBI single from Charles Stevens, extending the Mustangs lead to 7-0.
Five more runs scored in the eighth, setting up the run rule win. A walk to Luikart and a hit by pitch on Gundelfinger set up an RBI double for Carson Hintz, driving in Luikart, before Belton singled, and wound up all the way at third base, scoring both Gundelfinger and Hintz. Stevens was hit by a pitch, and stole second, then after a strikeout by Eden Meyers, Kobuszewki drove in Belton and Stevens for the final Mustangs runs of the games. In the bottom half, trying to avoid the game ending, the Mudcats pushed across one run as Ryder McClain scored on a pickoff, but the game ended when JP Gonzalez popped out to Little.
Central alum Owen Foster earned the win throwing six shutout innings, giving up five hits and striking out four while walking one. Plattsburg alum Keegan Gudde threw two innings of relief giving up a run with two strikeouts and two walks, but no hits. At the plate, Kobuszewski was 4-for-5 with a walk, a double, a stolen base, two RBI's, and three runs scored. Luikart was 1-for-5 with a triple, a walk, and three RBI's. Belton was 3-for-4 with two RBI's and two runs scored.
The Mustangs are now 21-12 on the season, 18-11 in the MINK League, and will stay on the road tomorrow traveling to Kirksville to play the North Missouri Natty's. First pitch is at 7pm.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.