The Culver-Stockton baseball team took three out of the four games played with Mount Mercy University over the weekend at Nichols Field in Canton.

The Wildcats opened the weekend Friday afternoon with a sweep over the Mustangs, winning 6-4 and 7-4 Friday afternoon. Then on Saturday, after losing the first game 8-2, C-SC rallied from a 4-0 deficit to claim an 8-6 victory in the nightcap to win the series.

The results of the weekend improve the Wildcats to 11-20-1 overall and 8-8 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Mount Mercy falls to 13-17 overall and 9-7 in the Heart.

In the opening game Friday, C-SC jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two innings thanks to a three-run first inning. The key hit was a two-run single by Ryan Osso and a RBI single by Jackson Day. In the second inning, Jaison Andujar doubled home Noble Oxford who had singled.

The Wildcats closed out the scoring in the fourth inning with a RBI double by Oxford and a run-scoring single by Kannon Kirk.

Anthony Ribes hurled six strong innings to earn the victory. Ribes allowed four runs on six hits, walked two and struck out four. Davin Meier earned his first save of the season despite a pair of walks in the seventh inning.

In game two Friday, Mount Mercy jumped on the Wildcats with four runs in the first inning but the Wildcats plated a run in th e bottom of the inning and then tied the game with a three-run third inning.

Jordan Scott had RBI singles in each of the scoring innings with the Wildcats scoring two other runs on a throwing error by the Mustang left fielder after a single by Tristan Meny.

Tied 4-4 in the fourth, C-SC plated three runs in the bottom of the inning on a run-scoring single from Meny, a bases-loaded walk to Kannon Kirk, and a sacrifice fly by Scott. 

Scott finished the game 3-for-3 with three runs batted in while Andujar went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. 

Clayton Woods pitched his second straight complete game for the Wildcats to even his record at 3-3. Woods scattered fur hits, walked three and struck out six.

The Mustangs avoided a sweep by banging out 12 hits and taking advantage of four Wildcat errors to claim the third game the series.

C-SC collected 10 hits of its own but could only manage to dent the plate in the seventh inning on a two-run double by Kirk, who finished with three hits in four at-bats.

In the series finale, Mount Mercy sprinted to a 4-0 lead with a pair of runs each in the first and second innings.

However, the Wildcats squared the game at 4-4 with four run second inning as Wyatt Wright delivered a two-out, RBI single, Meny walked with the bases loaded and then two more scored when an inning ending groundball was booted by the Mustang shortstop.

The visitors re-claimed the lead in the fourth with two runs to go ahead 6-4; however the Wildcats answered with some two-out offense.

After Oxford flew out and Eli Friend struck out, Wright doubled and Meny singled to put runners at the corners.

Mount Mercy went to the bullpen and Kirk greeted the reliever with a RBI single to make it 6-5 before Scott drilled a three-run homer to give the Wildcats a two-run cushion.

Stefan Stockwell relieved starter Cole Parkhill to start the fifth inning and Stockwell pitched 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing just three hits. 

Meier entered with two outs and two runners on base in the seventh and got ground out to Osso at shortstop to pick up his second save of the weekend.

Parkhill hurled the first four innings, giveng up seven hits and six runs. He walked two and struck out five. 

Bryan Barreto had two hits in the finale and finished the weekend with eight hits in 13 at-bats, a .615 batting average.

The Wildcats are scheduled to host Clarke University in another four-game series next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7, at Nichols Field. Game time each day is set for 1 p.m.