Columbia, Missouri – March 13–14, 2026 – The Mission University Patriots baseball team opened conference play on the road with a three-game series against Columbia College, winning the opener in extra innings before dropping the final two games in narrow fashion.
Pregame
Mission entered the weekend looking to gain momentum early in conference play with a three-game road series at Columbia. The series featured tight contests throughout, including two extra-inning games and a dramatic late comeback in the finale.
Game 1 – Mission 9, Columbia 7 (12 innings)
Mission opened the series with a dramatic extra-inning victory Friday, pulling away in the 12th inning for a 9-7 win.
Columbia struck first in the second inning with a two-run homer from Joey Marcinkiewicz. Mission responded in the fourth when Kaedan Thompson launched a two-run home run to tie the game, followed by a sacrifice fly from Ryan Free that gave the Patriots a 3-2 lead.
The Patriots extended the lead in the fifth when Trey Mulholland blasted a two-run homer, pushing Mission ahead 5-2.
Columbia fought back in the sixth inning with a two-run single from Eli Miller and a run on a fielder's choice to tie the game at 5-5. Mission regained control in the seventh when Collin Miser ripped a two-run triple to right center, giving the Patriots a 7-5 advantage.
The Cougars tied the game again in the ninth with an RBI single from Braden Hemmer, sending the game to extra innings.
After several scoreless frames, Mission broke through in the 12th when Zachary Beatty crushed a two-run homer to right field to secure the 9-7 victory.
Garrett Hunter delivered a strong relief effort on the mound, pitching four innings while allowing just one run and striking out five.
Game 2 – Columbia 4, Mission 3 (10 innings)
The second game of the series was another tightly contested battle that went into extra innings.
Columbia opened the scoring in the third inning on a solo home run by Dylan Carlton. Mission answered in the fourth when Trey Mulholland tied the game with a solo home run.
The Patriots took the lead in the fifth inning when Drew Vaughan delivered a two-run single to center field, putting Mission ahead 3-1.
Columbia rallied in the seventh inning when Zac Fruend launched a two-run homer to tie the game at 3-3.
The teams remained locked until the bottom of the 10th, when Jason Pearl delivered a walk-off RBI single to lift Columbia to a 4-3 victory.
Jude Tenny turned in a strong performance on the mound for Mission, throwing eight innings while allowing three runs and striking out nine.
Game 3 – Columbia 5, Mission 4
Mission appeared poised to secure the series in the finale before Columbia rallied late.
The Patriots struck first in the second inning when Sam Golden lifted a sacrifice fly that scored Collin Miser. Columbia tied the game in the third on an error that allowed Colton Nichols to score.
Mission regained control in the sixth inning when Collin Miser launched a two-run homer to left field, giving the Patriots a 3-1 advantage.
In the seventh, Kadean Jacobs added an RBI single that pushed the lead to 4-1.
However, Columbia mounted a dramatic rally in the bottom of the seventh when Tyler Renn blasted a grand slam to left field, flipping the score and giving the Cougars a 5-4 lead.
Mission was unable to respond in the final frame as Columbia completed the comeback victory.
Stat Leaders (Mission – Series)
Zachary Beatty – 4 hits, HR, 4 RBI
Collin Miser – 5 hits, HR, 4 RBI
Kaedan Thompson – HR, 4 RBI
Trey Mulholland – HR, 3 RBI
Pitching highlights included Garrett Hunter allowing one run across four innings in Game 1 and Jude Tenny striking out nine across eight innings in Game 2.
Postgame
Mission showed resilience throughout the series, battling through multiple extra-inning contests and holding late leads in two of the three games. The Patriots' offense produced key power throughout the weekend, including several home runs and extra-base hits that kept the games competitive.
Despite coming away with only one win, the series featured narrow margins and late-inning swings that could have easily shifted the results. Mission demonstrated strong offensive production and solid pitching performances against a conference opponent.
Next Up
Mission returns home for a non-conference matchup against Calvary College on March 18 (Wednesday) at 12:00 PM. The Patriots will look to regroup and build momentum as the season continues.
