OZARK, Mo. — With its season on the line, Mission delivered in a pressure-packed elimination game Tuesday morning, shutting out UHSP 2-0 at Ozark Mountain Sports Complex to stay alive in the AMC Tournament.
Pregame
Mission entered the day as the tournament's No. 2 overall seed but was pushed into the elimination bracket following Monday's loss. In the double-elimination format, the Patriots needed a win to extend their season against UHSP in a 10:00 a.m. neutral-site matchup where Mission served as the home team.
Game Summary
In a tightly contested pitcher's duel, both teams struggled to generate offense early as the game remained scoreless through seven innings.
Mission starter Jude Tenny set the tone, allowing just three hits across seven shutout innings while striking out seven. UHSP matched the effort behind Tristan Calmes, who worked out of multiple jams despite issuing seven walks.
Play was interrupted by a rain delay in the seventh inning, briefly halting momentum before setting the stage for a decisive finish.
After play resumed, Mission finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth inning without recording a hit. Drew Vaughan opened the rally and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch, giving the Patriots a 1-0 lead. Moments later, continued pressure on the basepaths paid off again as another wild pitch brought home Zachary Beatty to extend the lead to 2-0.
Garrett Hunter took over on the mound following Tenny and slammed the door, tossing two hitless innings with two strikeouts to secure the shutout victory.
Stat Leaders
Drew Vaughan — 2-for-3, R
Zachary Beatty — R, 3 BB
Jude Tenny — 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
Garrett Hunter — 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
Postgame
Mission showed resilience in a must-win situation, using disciplined at-bats and dominant pitching to grind out a victory. Despite limited hits, the Patriots capitalized on UHSP mistakes late to push across the only runs they needed.
Series Notes
- AMC Tournament is double elimination, and Mission remains alive after its first elimination game.
- Mission entered the tournament as the No. 2 overall seed.
- The game remained scoreless through seven innings before Mission broke through late.
- A rain delay in the 7th inning paused play before the decisive eighth inning.
- Mission scored both runs in the eighth inning on wild pitches, without recording a hit in the frame.
- Patriots pitching allowed just three total hits in the shutout.
Next Up
Mission will face No. 1 seed Columbia in another elimination game tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Ozark Mountain Sports Complex.
