Baseball Drops Home Doubleheader Games to William Woods

Marshall, Mo., (April 18, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team hosted William Woods (Mo.) in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader inside Wood & Huston Field.  The Vikings fell in both games against the Owls.

The opener began with Sophomore Pitcher Phillip Rushman (Lincoln, Neb.) striking out two batters and facing the minimum in the top of the first inning.  William Woods started off the top of the second inning with a solo homer, but Rushman got out of the inning helped by a double-play started by Sophomore Second Baseman Sota Suzuki (Aichi, Japan) to keep the team in a 1-0 deficit.  The Vikings were taken down in order in the bottom half of the second, while Rushman faced the minimum once again in the top of the third.  Missouri Valley threatened in the bottom of the third as Freshman First Baseman Dalton Fritsche (Perryville, Mo.) walked and Suzuki was hit by a pitch.  Later in the inning, Freshman Centerfielder Aidan Bearden (Kansas City, Mo.) earned a walk, and MVC had the bases loaded.  However, all three were left stranded to end the at-bat as the score stayed at 1-0.  William Woods strung together a rally in the top of the fourth, using five walks and one hit batter to eventually produce five runs.  

The Vikings followed with production from the plate in the bottom half, as Freshman Third Baseman Breenan Nickerson (Independence, Mo.) walked to open the at-bat and Senior Leftfielder Shumpei Kaneko (Saitama, Japan) singled.  Freshman Catcher Gabe Duncan (St. Peters, Mo.) doubled to score Nickerson, while Suzuki later worked a bases-loaded walk to bring home Kaneko.  Sophomore Shortstop Bradley Johnson (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) drove home Junior Pinch Runner Zachary Wilson (Copperscove, Texas) on a single, and Bearden brought home two runners with a double to end the rally and cut the gap down to 6-5.  The top of the fifth featured another long at-bat for WWU, producing five hits and seven runs to extend the team's lead out to 13-5.  Missouri Valley got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth, as Fritsche singled to score Alton and put the deficit at 13-6.  The Vikings added more runs in the bottom of the sixth, as Bearden belted out a two-run homer to put the score at 13-8.  The Owls followed with two more runs in the top of the seventh inning, while MVC could not rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to fall by a final score of 15-8.

Bearden had three hits, one run scored and four RBIs, while Fritsche had two hits, one run and one RBI.  Johnson totaled one hit, one run and one RBI, while Suzuki and Duncan had one hit and one RBI.  Both Alton and Kaneko added one hit and one run.  

William Woods threatened early in game two, putting a pair of runners on-base with no outs in the top of the first inning.  Freshman Pitcher Justin Case (Fulton, Mo.) worked out of the jam, inducing a pair of groundouts and striking out one batter to leave the runners stranded and keep the game scoreless.  Johnson reached safely with a one-out single in the bottom half of the inning for the first MVC hit, but was left on-base.  The Owls produced from the plate in the top of the second inning, using three hits to bring home two runs and move in front, 2-0.  Missouri Valley answered in the bottom half of the inning, as Suzuki reached with a double, then came home on a two-run home run from Bearden to tie the contest at 2-2.  William Woods came back in the top of the fourth to score two runs and pull ahead, 4-2.  Case worked around a pair of singles in the top of the fifth inning, helped by Junior Catcher Josh Hudson (Kansas City, Mo.) throwing out a runner trying to steal second base.  The Vikings were held scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, and Case struck out one batter to face the minimum in the top of the sixth.  The top of the seventh featured a rally for the Owls, using five hits and one MVC error to create five runs and extend the team's advantage.  Missouri Valley put two runners on-base to open the bottom of the seventh inning, but a double-play halted the late rally attempt, and the Vikings fell, 9-2.

Bearden had one hit, one run and two RBIs, while Suzuki added one hit and one run scored.  Case went 6.2 innings on the mound, giving up four earned runs with four strikeouts.

Missouri Valley drops to 3-39 overall and 3-19 in the Heart.  William Woods improves to 22-17 on the season and 13-9 in the conference.

Up next, the two teams will continue their series with a doubleheader Sunday beginning at 1 p.m., at Wood & Huston Field.

Game 1 Box Score-Click Here

Game 2 Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.