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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern Lions concluded the 2008 campaign with a bang by winning game one of a doubleheader 3-2 in dramatic fashion over the No. 23-ranked Central Missouri Mules. The Mules rebounded to win an offensive slugfest in the second game, 16-11 Sunday afternoon (May 4) at Joe Becker Stadium. With the Lions leading 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning of the opener, CJ Matthews nailed the potential-tying run at the plate for the third out of the inning and sealed the win for Southern. Balin Bergman opened the scoring with an RBI single to give the Mules an early 1-0 lead. Derek Ezell quickly hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first for his team-leading eighth home run of the season to put the Lions up 2-1. The Mules tied the score in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Luis Perez, but Gabe Wyatt put the Lions back in front with an RBI triple that scored Jeff Katchmar. MSSU starter Chris Green worked 5 1/3 solid innings and allowed only two runs to earn the victory. Jacob Garrison followed him and pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings before Scotty Roberson earned the save by recording the final out. The Mules jumped on the Lions in the nightcap with three runs in the first and Blaine Rutledge hit a three-run home run as UCM scored four more in the second inning to take a 7-1 lead. Juan Hernandez led off the first inning with a solo shot to put the Lions on the board. After UCM (38-14, 26-8 MIAA) went up 10-1 with three runs in the third, the Lions exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the fourth to even the score at 10-10. Katchmar got things rolling with a lead-off single and then scored on a two-run homer by Matt Imrie. Hernandez and Derek Ezell each drove in two runs before Imrie again came up and capped the big inning with a two-run single. Matt Mantle also produced an RBI single in the fourth for the Lions. Brian McBryde then put the Mules back in front with a homer to lead-off the fifth inning and Bergman added a sacrifice fly to make it 12-10. The Mules scored three tallies in the sixth inning to gain some more breathing room at 15-10. Trailing 16-10 in the ninth, Lee Hall scored the Lions' final run with an RBI groundout that plated pinch-runner Eric Clark. Hernandez and Imrie each had three hits for Southern in game two and combined to drive in seven runs. Rutledge went 5-6 and had five RBI for the Mules. The Lions finish the 2008 season at 19-33 overall and 16-20 in the MIAA. Southern finished tied for sixth in the MIAA with Pittsburg State. The 16 conference victories are the most for the Lions since 2002.
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