Heart Baseball Conference Tournament: Day Three Recap

OZARK, Mo. – With just two games remaining, William Woods has clinched a spot in the title game, while Mount Mercy and MidAmerica Nazarene will face off to earn a spot in the championship game.

Game 9: No. 2 Mount Mercy Defeats No. 1 Missouri Baptist, 6-1

A four-run sixth inning and an incredible performance on the mound from Cole Conner helped Mount Mercy stay alive in the Heart of America Conference Tournament, defeating No. 1 Missouri Baptist, 6-1.

Conner earned the win for the Spartans throwing a complete game, while striking out 14 batters and allowing just one run on three hits. In the bottom of the first inning, Nick Meyer doubled to right-center, and Sam Wiese singled to right-center to give Mount Mercy an early 2-0 lead.

Lane Spieker was then hit by a pitch in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded to make it 3-0, but after a strikeout gave MBU the first out of the inning, Wiese doubled to center to score three runs and break the game open, 6-0.

Missouri Baptist would not be shutout as they scored a run in the top of the seventh on a single from Shabestari, but Conner would collect five strikeouts in the final two innings to slam the door and give Mount Mercy the 6-1 victory.

With the win, Mount Mercy advances in the consolation bracket and faced off with (OPPONENT) on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. With the loss, Missouri Baptist's tournament has come to an end.

Game 10: No. 4 Clarke Defeats No. 7 Central Methodist, 8-7

Despite a late comeback from Central Methodist, the Clarke Pride advanced to the next round after defeating the Eagles, 8-7. Kevin Toala threw just 0.2 innings for the Pride but earned the win for Clarke.

A four-run first inning got things started for Clarke, but it didn't stop there. They added one in the second and two more in the fifth as they led 7-0 after five innings of play. Central Methodist began to scratch away at the lead, scoring one in the sixth and two in the eighth before scoring two runs in the top of the ninth inning to fight all the way back and tie the game at seven.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, a wild pitch scored Eli Kelley from third and gave Clarke the 8-7 win. With the win, the Pride advanced in the consolation bracket and faced off with Mount Mercy on Saturday night. With the loss, Central Methodist's tournament has come to an end.

Game 11: No. 3 William Woods Defeats No. 5 MidAmerica Nazarene, 10-8

MNU couldn't fight all the way back in this one as William Woods came away with a 10-8 win. Keith Piepmeier earned the win for the Owls, while Parker Ausin picked up the save.

Power was key in the top of the first as Noah Castillo and Christian Ramos each hit home runs to give MNU the early 3-0 lead. William Woods then fired right back with two runs of their own in the bottom half as MNU led 3-2 after just one inning.

Both teams traded runs through 3.5 innings, but in the bottom of the fourth, four singles scored six runs for William Woods as they gained a 10-5 lead. MNU then scored one in the fifth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh before the Owls closed the door and came away with a 10-8 win.

With the win, No. 3 William Woods advances to the Championship game on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. With the loss, MidAmerica Nazarene moves into the consolation bracket and will take on No. 2 Mount Mercy at 10 a.m., on Sunday, May 3.

Game 12: No. 2 Mount Mercy Defeats No. 4 Clarke, 9-5

Closing out day three of the Heart Conference Tournament, Mount Mercy stayed alive with a 9-5 win over Clarke. Jake Weissenberger earned the win, throwing three innings in relief.

A huge Christian Graves three-run home run gave the Mustangs an early 3-0 lead. It wasn't until the fifth inning when Clarke got on the board, scoring one in the fifth, one in the sixth and one in the seventh to tie the game at three.

Mount Mercy then got hot in the seventh highlighted by a Drew Terpins triple as they regained the lead, 7-3. Once Clarke's Eli Kelley hit a home run and Jaiden Russin hit a sac-fly, a two-run single from Chase Gerwig finished things off as Mount Mercy won, 9-5.

With the win, Mount Mercy will take on No. 5 MidAmerica Nazarene at 10 a.m., on Sunday, May 3. With the loss, Clarke's tournament has come to an end.