University of Missouri
Northwestern State University
Tigers Trip Northwestern State, 2-1
2/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 19, 2000
NATCHITOCHES, LA -- Sophomore third baseman Landon Brandes, a transfer who hit 20 home runs at Maplewoods Community College in Kansas City last year, worked his magic in the ninth inning Saturday, and his heroics propelled the Missouri Tigers to a 2-1 victory over the Northwestern State Demons at the Ken Moran Trucking Demon Baseball Classic at Brown-Stroud Field.
Missouri (3-3) trailed 1-0 entering the final frame against home-standing Northwestern State (6-4), but had the top of the batting order coming to the plate. After J.R. Warner grounded out, Ryan Stegall worked Demons ace Adam Stout for a walk. Brandes followed with a two-run home run to left field to give Missouri the lead. It was his team-leading second homer of the season.
The dramatics, though, were far from over. Missouri starting pitcher Logan Dale had tossed a two-hitter over the game's first eight innings and allowed only one unearned run. But he gave way to the MU bullpen in the bottom of the ninth. Mitch Kiler struck out Steven Bell to start the inning, then got Ed Linck to ground to shortstop. Stegall, though, committed his second error of the game on the play and Kiler then hit Mack Paciorek with a pitch to put two runners on base. The runners moved up to second and third on a groundout by Brad Payne.
MU Coach Tim Jamieson changed pitchers and brought his closer, Stegall, in from shortstop to face 5-foot-8 Santino Vialpando. He struck him out on a 3-2 pitch to earn his second save in three days.
Dale pitched a masterful game in squaring his record at 1-1. He allowed only a single in the first inning and a run-scoring triple in the sixth. His best pitching, though, came in those innings. In the first, he worked out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation to hold the Demons scoreless. In the sixth, Tyler Dunlap reached on an error by Brandes to leadoff the inning, and scored on a triple by Jordan Robison. But Dale then fanned Demathdian Tate, got Bell to pop up to Stegall at shortstop, and Linck to bounce back to the mound to avoid further damage.
Northwestern State's Stout, who earlier this season defeated defending Big 12 Conference Tournament champion Nebraska, 8-6, matched Dale throughout the afternoon. He allowed the Tigers only three hits and three walks while striking out eight. He went the full nine innings but his record fell to 1-2.
The game was a spirited one among friends. The Demons are coached by former Mizzou hitting coach John Cohen, now in his third season at Northwestern State after seven years with the Tigers.
Missouri wraps up its trip to Louisiana on Sunday, with a 11 a.m. contest against the Centenary Gents. Junior Pete Sansone is the scheduled starter for the Tigers, who return home to entertain the Lincoln University Blue Tigers at Taylor Stadium at Simmons Field at 3 p.m., Tuesday.
