The Basics

Score: Evangel 9, Mission 4 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (16-31), Mission (28-17)

Location: Ozark, Mo. (Ozark Mountain Sports Complex)

OZARK, Mo. – Evangel Baseball traveled just south of Springfield on Tuesday (Apr. 22) evening, taking on the Mission Patriots in a single nine-inning matchup, their final non-conference game of the year.

Evangel used a strong fifth inning to turn the tide of the game, taking a 6-3 lead they would hold to the finish, recording 17 hits en route to a 9-4 win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After Evangel's first two at-bats resulted in a pair of outs, singles from Shane Poe, Clay Palen, and Quentin Edwards scored Poe to push EU ahead 1-0.

• Mission scored three runs combined throughout innings three and four, taking a 3-1 lead over EU.

• Evangel hung five runs in the fifth inning, with Evan Baptiste opening the inning with a solo home run to draw the Valor within a run. Kannon Perry worked a walk with Peyton Gayer entering to run. Poe and Palen both singled with a Edwards single scoring Gayer and Poe to give EU a 4-3 lead. A balk allowed Palen to score and a Heath Perry single scored Edwards, extending the Valor lead to 6-3.

• In the seventh, Palen singled, scoring on a H. Perry single to give EU a 7-3 lead. A wild pitch allowed Edwards to score in the inning to push EU out to a 8-3 advantage.

• Mission scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, making it a 8-4 ballgame, but Evangel scored a run of their own in the top of the eighth, scoring Baptiste on a Poe single to solidify the 9-4 Valor road win.

NOTABLE

• Shane Poe and Clay Palen both went 4-5 to lead Evangel on Tuesday.

• Quentin Edwards led Evangel with three RBIs, also scoring a pair of runs in the win.

• Evan Baptiste hit his sixth home run of the season on Tuesday, tying Edwards for the team lead.

• Isaac Daley earned the win on Tuesday, with TJ Newman and Hayden Larson both pitching strong appearances for Evangel.

QUOTABLE

"This was a really big win for our program. This is a nice step in the right direction and shows that this program is no longer afraid to play certain schools," stated head coach Sam Jones. "Our mentality has changed and as long as my staff is running this program, we will lead these guys to be fearless and play with courage against anybody with the heart of a lion."

NEXT UP

Evangel Baseball hits the road to conclude their regular season on Friday and Saturday (Apr. 25/26) afternoon, taking on the Tabor College Bluejays in Hillsboro, Kansas.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.