Baker takes three of four from Valley

The Missouri Valley College snapped a five-game Heart of America Conference losing streak, but that was about the only positive during its weekend series with West Division rival Baker -- which won three of four games, including a doubleheader sweep at Osage Field.

The Vikings got a two-run homer from senior Nate Combs and RBI singles by juniors Andy Chamberlin and Dan Schlottmann to take a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning during

Saturday's opener at Baldwin City, Kan.

However, the Wildcats scored the next three runs, ending the game on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-4 victory.

Valley banged out 15 hits in the nightcap, a 12-7 victory -- a season high offensively in league games. Schlottman went four for four with three RBIs, Combs had two doubles among his three hits, junior Jay Walkup scored three times and sophomore George Ban and senior Ricardo LeClaire each knocked in a pair of runs.

The only significant slugging done during Sunday's games at Marshall came from Baker, which pounded out an 11-2 win in the opener.

The Wildcats were helped by seven MVC errors, five on the middle infield, for seven unearned runs -- two each in the first and fifth innings.

Freshman Steven Stewart's three-run double in the second helped stake Baker to a 6-0 lead, the Vikings breaking through on Combs' solo homer in the fourth.

That was the only earned run off freshman southpaw Christopher Cummins, who scattered seven hits and struck out five for his third win of the season.

The 'Cats' pitching was even more formidable in the getaway game, an 8-0 shutout behind the four-hitter of freshman Joe Kaup.

Senior Andrew Hannon had three hits and scored three runs, Hannon knocked in three runs and sophomore Brandon Truitt went yard for two runs in the sixth for the crowning blow to the rout for Baker (8-7, 5-3 HAAC).

The Vikings (3-14, 1-7) will try to get back on track today with a home twinbill against league foe Benedictine.