HESSTON, Kan. — The Hesston College baseball team used timely hitting and a dominant stretch on the mound to secure a 9-4 victory over Southwestern Christian University on Monday afternoon at home. The Larks broke open a tight game with a five-run surge in the middle innings and held off a late push to earn the win.
After two scoreless innings to open the contest, Hesston struck first in the bottom of the third. Cooper Huff ignited the rally with a triple, and Chris Cammllari followed with a sacrifice fly to plate the game’s first run. Corbin Broyles later reached on an error and stole second, but the Larks settled for a 1-0 lead.
Hesston added another run in the fourth. Trentis Lane doubled to left field and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on another wild pitch to extend the advantage to 2-0.
The game shifted decisively in the fifth inning. After Broyles singled and RJ Cruz worked a walk, Federico Moran delivered a single to load the bases. Kreyton Johnson then reached on an error by the shortstop, allowing three runs to score as the Larks capitalized on defensive miscues to stretch the lead to 5-0.
Hesston continued to apply pressure in the seventh. Moran singled to start the inning, and two batters later Lane launched a two-run home run to left field, pushing the margin to 7-0.
Southwestern Christian University mounted its first threat in the eighth, stringing together a hit by pitch, a double and a pair of RBI groundouts to cut the deficit to 7-2. Hesston answered immediately in the bottom half. After Huff was hit by a pitch and advanced on an error, Broyles delivered an RBI single. Moran followed with another RBI knock to restore a comfortable 9-2 cushion.
The visitors made one final push in the ninth when E. Dudamel connected on a two-run home run, trimming the final margin to 9-4, but Devin Jones closed the door to secure the win.
Moran paced the Hesston offense with three hits and two RBIs, while Lane finished with two hits, including a home run and a double, and drove in two. Broyles added two hits and an RBI, and Huff contributed a triple and scored twice. The Larks totaled nine runs on nine hits.
On the mound, Colby Simkins set the tone with three scoreless innings. Aaron Shipp earned the win after tossing three shutout frames in relief, allowing no hits while striking out two. Kevyn Velazco added a scoreless inning before the bullpen navigated the final two frames to preserve the victory.
The Larks will face Park University on Friday (Feb. 25) in Missouri.
