JOPLIN, Mo. -- Senior
Kyohei Makita had three hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs, but Wisconsin-Parkside lost both ends of a doubleheader to Missouri Southern State on Saturday at Turner Field.
Missouri Southern State won the opener 11-8 and then completed the sweep with a 17-3 victory over the Rangers in the nightcap.
After Wisconsin-Parkside rallied from six runs down to win the opening game of the series on Friday, the Lions rallied from eight runs down to beat the Rangers in the first game of the doubleheader. Wisconsin-Parkside scored eight times in the top of the third inning, but Missouri Southern State scored five times in the bottom of the third, once in the fourth inning, two more times in the fifth inning and capped the comeback by scoring three times in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Wisconsin-Parkside erupted for eight runs in the top of the third inning of game one to take an early lead.
Trent Muscat opened the inning with a double to left and came home to score when
Kyle Schulz singled to center giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
The Rangers then loaded the bases when Makita walked and
Zach Thompson was hit by a pitch.
Jake Kolasinski reached on an infield single to plate Schulz and extend the lead to 2-0.
Nick Janssen then singled to left scoring Makita and Thompson to push the Rangers lead to 4-0. Wisconsin-Parkside made it 5-0 when
Max Widmar roped a double that scored Kolasinski and advanced Janssen to third base.
Following a pitching change,
Troy Bittenbender lined a single to center that brought home Janssen and Widmar and pushed the Rangers lead to 7-0.
Andrew Luscomb capped the outburst with a single to left that scored Muscat giving the Rangers an 8-0 lead.
The Lions took the lead for good when Brett Graham doubled in the bottom of the sixth inning scoring Tyler Sutherland who doubled to lead off the inning. Missouri Southern State added two more runs to take an 11-8 lead.
The Rangers brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh inning when Kolasinski doubled and Widmar was hit by a pitch, but reliever Cody Smith nailed down the win with a strikeout.
Kolasinski and Widmar each had two hits for the Rangers in game one, while Janssen and Bittenbender each drove home two runs.
Wisconsin-Parkside took a 3-0 lead in game two only to see the Lions score 17 times over the final three innings.
The Rangers scored three times in the top of the second inning off the bat of Makita.
With two outs, Luscomb struck out but reached first base on a wild pitch. Schulz followed with an infield single and Makita then ripped his third home run of the season to right center giving the Rangers a 3-0 lead.
Wisconsin-Parkside dropped to 1-2 on the season, while Missouri Southern State improved to 4-1 with the two victories.
The two teams will conclude the series with a single game on Sunday (Feb. 12) beginning at 1 p.m.
