RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Big second innings proved to be the difference as the No. 17 Arkansas Tech baseball team split a doubleheader against Missouri Western for the second straight day, dropping the afternoon opener 10-4 before coming back to take the nightcap 11-2 Saturday at Tech Field.

The Wonder Boys (2-2) struggled against the Griffons (2-2) in Game 1, allowing seven runs in the first two innings, and couldn't climb back out of the early hole. Missouri Western plated five runs in the top of the second, including four unearned to push out to the early 7-1 lead. Tech pulled to within 2-1 after the first frame thanks to a Kris Ayers RBI single to plate Marcus Wilson. Despite the deficit, the Wonder Boys pushed three more runs across, with John Lassiter scoring on a Wilson groundout in the fifth and Ayers coming across on a Mark Vaughn single before Daniel Steinbrenner scored on an error in the sixth. Those runs made it 9-4, but Tech was unable to pull any closer.
Vaughn and Patrick Castleberry each had a pair of base hits in the opener, with Wilson, Ayers and Vaughn all knocking in a run. Zach Skelton took the loss, while freshman Josh Ryan made the first appearance of his Tech career, cleaning up the final two innings allowing just a hit and a walk.

With the threat of ending a day under .500 for the first time since early in the 2013 season hanging over their heads, the Wonder Boys jumped into action quickly in Game 2. Junior Cody Jones took to the mound, and was able to quiet what was a potent Griffon offense over the previous 16 innings, going 5 1/3 innings allowing just four hits and a single earned run while striking out six. Tech used Brandon Surdam, Bryson Morris and Tyler Huffstickler to close out the final 1 2/3 innings, and the trio gave up just one single.

The effort on the hill was more than enough for the Wonder Boys offense, which found its legs again after a tough first game. Lassiter gave the hosts their first lead of the doubleheader in the bottom of the first, singling down the left field line, advancing to third after drawing an errant pickoff attempt, and scoring on a wild pitch to make it 1-0. An RBI single and an error momentarily gave the Griffons back the lead, but Tech posted its big offensive inning of the day next, pushing seven runs across in the bottom of the second to all but seal the deal.

The Wonder Boys belted out six hits in the frame, and benefitted from a pair of Missouri Western errors. Vaughn kick-started the effort with a single, followed by a double from Keenan Jumper. Seth Wheeler reached, and Vaughn scored to start the damage, when the Griffons couldn't handle a ground ball. Rafiel Johnson and Lassiter placed perfect sacrifice bunts — the first two outs of the inning — around a Collin O'Neil RBI single, and Tech followed with three straight singles out of Castleberry, Ayers and Bryan Heward to plate two more runs. As a final dagger, after Heward stole second to put two into scoring position, a wild pitch allowed Ayers to scamper home, and while attempting to make that play, the ball scooted away from the Griffons to let Heward come in as well and make the score 8-2 after two innings.

Tech added some insurance in the fourth, as Castleberry smacked a home run to deep left field, and Vaughn followed in the fifth with a solo shot to left that capped the scoring for the day.

Dave Dawson's crew collected 12 hits, as O'Neil, Castleberry and Jumper each went 2-for-4 and Vaughn added a 2-for-3 outing. Lassiter, Castleberry and Vaughn all crossed the plate twice, and Castleberry's homer helped him knock in three runs for the game.

The Wonder Boys will be back in action beginning Thursday, as they travel to Houston for the four-day Houston Winter Invitational Feb. 5-8.