Baseball clinches fifth division crown

The University’s baseball team earned their fifth American Southwest Conference division title over the weekend, despite dropping two of three games against Mississippi College.

The 11-8 victory in the final game of the series sealed the division crown. The Choctaws took the first two games 7-3 and 11-2.

Mississippi College came out firing on all cylinders on Friday night, scoring in the first two innings. Chase Herrin and Shane Bennett drove in runs in the first. Stuart Magee scored an unearned run in the second to put the Choctaws up 3-0.

The Patriots cut the lead to two in the fourth on a single from Tyler Clakley, however left the bases loaded.

Jacob Daniel equaled that run with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning. Mississippi College added another run in the inning on single by Dakota Bodree.

Both teams traded runs in the fifth. Austin Newell drove in Aaron McCain on a double for the Patriots.

Magee hit the Choctaws’ third solo home run of the game in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 7-2. Justin Juneau drove in the Patriots final run on a single in the eighth.

Tyler Seaman earned his eighth win for the Choctaws, spreading eight hits in eight innings of work.

Mississippi College all but won game one of Saturday’s doubleheader in the second inning by scoring 10 runs on nine hits. Brannon Walls, Jarrod Cannette, Andy Smith, Bo Bell and Bennett drove in runs in the inning.

Ian Underwood picked up the win for the Choctaws allowing two runs on ten hits in a complete game effort.

The Patriots showed up for game two on Saturday, taking the lead in the second.

Juneau hit a two run home run that drove in Brett Hightower. Keenan Duke scored later in the inning on a single by McCain.

Juneau drove in another run in the fifth. Clakley knocked in a run as well in inning to put the Patriots up 5-0.

Mississippi College cut the lead to one, scoring two runs in the sixth and seventh inning. Bell drove in the two runs in the seventh on a single that scored Bodree and Herrin.

The Patriots answered with three runs in the eighth. Juneau doubled to lead off the inning and later scored. TJ Martin and Clakley scored on a hit by McCain.

The Choctaws, however, tied the game in bottom of the eighth thanks to two Patriot errors and a wild pitch.

Clakley redeemed the Patriots with a three run home run in the ninth, which allowed Logan Chitwood to close out the game and solidify the Patriots as the east division champions.

They will now play the first round of the ASC tournament at home. Their opponent will be determined this week.