BC takes two from Vikings

Junior Jay Walkup's RBI single in the third inning gave the Vikings a 3-0 lead over Benedictine in the nightcap. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

It's not difficult to understand why the Missouri Valley College baseball team has struggled in Heart of America Conference play, losing nine of 10 games after dropping a pair Tuesday to visiting Benedictine.

It's not just that the pitching has a 6.55 earned-run average, worst in the league, but that there's not enough pop in the bats to compensate. While Valley's team batting average is .267, also eighth in the HAAC, the offense is last in runs scored at 4.2 per game.

The Ravens' two victories, by scores of 9-4 and 9-6, are instructive. While the Vikings had only one fewer hit than Benedictine (25-24), they had only half as many extra-base hits -- three doubles compared to four two-sackers and a pair of homers. Valley didn't have a multi-RBI hit, while the Ravens had two three-run safeties to key six-run rallies.

The first of these occurred during the fourth inning of the opener.

Already ahead on sophomore Mackenzie Moore's solo homer in the first, Benedictine got bases-loaded singles from junior Alex Thompson, senior Bobby Medina and sophomore Ryan Gibson for a 4-0 lead.

The Vikings had a chance to get out of the frame without further damage, but junior Jay Walkup dropped junior Michael Marx foul pop-up on the first-base side which would have ended the inning.

With new life, Marx smashed bases-clearing double into the power alley in left-center field.

Down 7-0, Valley could only chip into the lead. Senior Ricardo LeClaire doubled in a run in the bottom of the fourth and junior Gage Wollerman had an RBI single in the fifth. However, the Vikings could do no better than trade runs the rest of the way.

The nightcap began much better for Valley, sophomore George Ban leading off the first inning with a double and coming in on a grounder and singles by senior Cody Hanneken and Walkup combining with a booted bouncer for two tallies in the third.

Senior Sean Good plated two runs with a double in the top of the fourth, but the Vikings got those runs back during its next turn on singles from sophomore Damon Owen, Hanneken and Ban.

After two walks to start the Ravens' fifth, Valley brought in sophomore Danny O'Brien to relieve, but he didn't have the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick's Day. After yielding two-out RBI singles to Thompson and Medina to tie the game, junior Cody Gardner was called to the hill -- and surrendered a three-run blast to Good on the first pitch.

Thompson knocked in a run with a double in the seventh for a 9-5 Benedictine lead, but the Vikings attempted to come back. Wollerman led off with a double, but was wiped out trying to advance to third base on a pitch in the dirt.

Walkup singled and scored when junior Andy Chamberlin's base hit got through the outfield, but the next two Valley batters grounded out.

Marx had four RBIs in the first game and Good drove in five runs in the second for the Ravens (10-6, 6-4 HAAC).

The positive news for the Vikings (3-16, 1-9) on an otherwise grim day was its defense, with only one error -- albeit a costly one -- and four double plays turned. This was more typical of Valley's season performance, which is second in the league with a .952 fielding percentage, than Sunday's 12 errors during Sunday's doubleheader sweep by Baker.

Valley will have a chance this weekend to win at home, where it is 0-6 this season, when Graceland -- off to as tough a start as the Vikings, and ranking lower than them in all major categories except runs-per-game -- visits for a four-game series.