ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Baseball saw pitcher Zack Cushing craft an absolute gem to cement the team's first complete game of 2022 in Tuesday's 6-2 win over Maryville at the Spring Sports Complex.

Cushing (1-3) started his first-ever complete game in control by collecting two of his nine total strikeouts in the first inning. He pitched 5.2 innings of clean, hitless baseball until Maryville's (14-14) Jackson Burrell dropped a lined shot down into center field. It didn't take long for Missouri Western to give him a lead thanks to Alex Crouch's third inning RBI knock to the right side that brought Brady Holden around to score.

Brenden Andersen padded the lead in the fifth with the biggest swing of the day – a three-run blast to left field to bump the score to 4-0. Bryson McArn doubled in a run later that inning with a rope down the left-field line to score Jared Munk. Ryan Neise also got Munk around the basepaths to score with an RBI shot up the gut in the eighth.

Meanwhile, Maryville pitcher Nick Schmidt (2-2) only went 4.2 innings and gave up five earned runs on four walks, five strikeouts and six hits. All but two Griffons tallied at least one base hit in a game they needed to end a four-game losing streak.

Next Up

Bearcat Week is here. Missouri Western (6-24, 3-17 MIAA) meets Northwest Missouri State (12-20, 7-13 MIAA) later this week to begin a three-game series. Friday's series primer is pinned for a 4 p.m. start time in St. Joseph at the Spring Sports Complex. The Bearcats are 7-3 in their last 10 and most recently took two-of-three from Northeastern and Newman