The Missouri Valley College baseball team needed to at least split its four-game weekend series against Heart of America Conference East Division rival Central Methodist to gain entry into the post-season.

Just to make sure, though, the Vikings won three -- and it may have been a sweep if not for blowing a two-run league in the seventh inning of Saturday's opener and losing 8-7 in the nightcap. Valley recovered from that disappointment to bury the Eagles, 12-0 in five innings, in the nightcap and take both of Sunday's games by 6-3 scores.

Methodist banged out five hits to score four times in the top of the third inning of the opener, but the Vikings charged back with four runs in the fourth -- senior Richard Knutz with a three-run double -- to take a 5-4 lead.

Valley headed into the seventh up 7-5, but singles by seniors Jay Paxton and John Piatt tied the score. The Eagles blanked the home team over the next three frames, going ahead for good in the top of the ninth on a bases-loaded two-out single by freshman Jeremy Middendorf.

Junior southpaw Kevin Ricketts allowed only three hits while recording his second shutout of the season -- he had beaten Lindenwood, 1-0, three weeks earlier -- and got early run support. Senior Kyle Eley smacked a three-run homer in the first inning and Knutz doubled home the first of four runs in the second. Junior Justin Stone added a three-run shot in the fourth.

The Vikings never trailed on the second day, breaking out with three runs on RBI doubles by Eley, senior Russell McGinnis and senior Dominic Giangrosso in the bottom of the third.

Senior Taylor Drennan tied the game with a three-homer tater in the fourth, but Valley answered with three runs in its half of the frame -- junior Jake Unger scoring on a sacrifice fly after leading off with a single and Eley cracking a two-run shot for insurance.

That was all senior Adam Banski needed, going the distance in his first start of the season.

Singles by Eley and McGinnis knocked in runs in the bottom of the first inning to allow the Vikings to begin the getaway game with a 2-0 lead. Junior Kevin Challoner and Eley went deep with two-run blasts later -- Eley's 19th homer of the season -- to build a 6-0 lead.

Central Methodist (12-31, 6-22 HAAC) tallied three times in the sixth -- on Paxton's double, a single from Piatt and a ground out -- but it wasn't enough. Junior Aaron Stender, stuck with a blown save from the first game of the set, set the side down in order in the seventh to preserve the victory.

Knutz had nine hits and five RBIs during the series for Valley (27-20, 18-10), which finished fourth overall in the league and second in the division. The Vikings are scheduled to play Friday at William Jewell to begin a best-of-three tilt to determine which of the divisional runners up will advance to the NAIA Region V playoff.