HESSTON, Kan. — The Hesston College baseball team hosted Arlington Baptist for a three-game weekend series, dropping the first two contests before erupting offensively in the finale on Sunday afternoon.

Game 1 – Arlington Baptist 9, Hesston 4

Arlington Baptist jumped on the scoreboard early, plating four runs in the opening inning to take immediate control. A leadoff double followed by an RBI single put the Patriots ahead before a two-run home run extended the lead to 4–0.

Hesston answered in the bottom half of the inning when Federico Moran walked and later scored on a Samuel Vasquez RBI single to trim the deficit to 4–1.

Arlington Baptist added another run in the second and pushed the lead to 6–1 in the fourth on an RBI single. The Patriots continued to add insurance in the sixth and seventh innings, extending the advantage to 9–1.

The Larks showed life late in the seventh. Kreyton Johnson opened the inning with a single before Noel Cesena was hit by a pitch. Moran then delivered a two-run double into the gap to bring home both runners, and Vasquez followed with an RBI single to cut the final margin to 9–4.

Moran finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Vasquez collected two hits and two RBIs as well. Johnson also recorded two hits as part of Hesston's seven-hit effort.

Game 2 – Arlington Baptist 6, Hesston 5

The second game began as a pitcher's duel before Hesston broke through in the third inning. Hayden Kearney singled and Corbin Broyles walked before Federico Moran doubled to right center to drive in two runs. Vasquez followed with an RBI single to give the Larks a 3–0 lead.

Hesston added two more runs in the fourth when Kearney delivered an RBI single and Broyles followed with another run-scoring hit, stretching the lead to 5–0.

Arlington Baptist responded with a dramatic sixth-inning rally. Back-to-back doubles and several timely hits helped the Patriots score five runs in the inning to tie the game at 5–5.

The Patriots pushed ahead in the seventh when a runner reached and later scored on a fielding error to take a 6–5 lead. Hesston threatened in the bottom half with a single from Manuel Aranguren, but Arlington Baptist recorded the final out to complete the comeback victory.

Game 3 – Hesston 16, Arlington Baptist 9

The Larks bounced back in the series finale with an offensive explosion.

Arlington Baptist jumped ahead early, scoring once in the first and adding five more runs through the third inning to build a 6–0 lead. Hesston responded in the bottom of the third when Kaleb Wise launched a three-run home run to bring the Larks back within three.

Hesston continued to chip away in the fourth on an RBI double by Hayden Kearney, and the offense found another spark in the sixth when Kearney drove in two runs with a single to make it 8–6.

The turning point came in the seventh inning when Hesston erupted for seven runs. Kreyton Johnson delivered a two-run double to give the Larks their first lead of the day, and Samuel Vasquez followed with a two-run single as part of the rally that pushed Hesston ahead 13–8.

The Larks added three more runs in the eighth as Vasquez lined a bases-clearing hit to right field, extending the lead to 16–8 and sealing the victory.

Vasquez led the offensive surge with three hits and five RBIs. Kearney also recorded three hits and three RBIs while scoring three times. Johnson added two RBIs and Wise contributed the three-run homer as Hesston totaled 13 hits in the win.

Jay Smith earned the win in relief while Nelson Morales closed out the final innings for the Larks.

The Larks will travel to Hillsboro on Wednesday (Mar. 11th) to face Tabor College in a single 9-inning game.