Box Score

JOPLIN, Mo. – For the third straight game, the Southwest Minnesota State baseball team battled No. 17 Missouri Southern State into the late stages of the game, but MSSU rallied with a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth and then used a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the 11^th to defeat SMSU 3-1 on Sunday morning at Warren Turner Field.
 
MSSU is now 13-1 overall after completing the three-game sweep, while SMSU drops to 0-3 in its season-opening series.
 
Jeremiah Van De Steeg was outstanding on the mound for the Mustangs, firing seven shutout innings and allowing just two hits with eight strikeouts and one walk in his first career appearance in a Mustang uniform.
 
The game was scoreless until the seventh inning when Brady Lanoue led-off the frame with a solo home run, for his second round-tripper of the season. The Mustangs had a great chance to add to the lead later in the inning, loading the bases with one out, but a pair of ground outs kept the score at 1-0.
 
Teddy Broxterman came on in relief for SMSU and pitched a scoreless eighth, but the Lions' Troy Gagan connected for a solo home run to start the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Broxterman continued to pitch into the 11^th, before leaving following a one-out walk. Jared Tschetter stepped to the mound for the Mustangs and after coaxing a pop out, Tommy Stevenson came to the plate and hit the first-pitch over the left field wall for the walk-off victory.
 
The Mustangs out-hit the Lions 6-5 with Kip Gronholz pacing the SMSU offense with a career-high three hits. Nathan Kuhn, Matt Bezdicek and Lanoue all finished the game with one hit each.
 
Southwest Minnesota State continues non-conference play on Thursday morning with a doubleheader versus Minnesota Duluth at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. It will be SMSU's first-ever games at the stadium.