Park University's baseball program had a disjoined four-game series with Peru State College in Parkville, Mo. at Comfort Field, playing four games on three separate days. Park won the series 3-1 with scores of 8-3, 8-6, 1-3, 14-4.

Park now has their highest number of wins since joining the Heart of America Athletic Conference with a 21-11 record in the Heart and is tied for the second most wins in a season in program history at 30-15. Park will be the No. 4 seed in the tournament, while Peru State takes the No. 7 seed at 18-28 and 14-16 in conference play. This is the second time since 2021 that Park has qualified for the Heart tournament.

There were 10 Pirates honored on senior day on Saturday, including Adam Stilts, Logan Weaver, Michael Hoffman, Alex Lozada, Kyler Barnett, Mason Sipes, Bryce Perdieu, Corey Bradford, Victor Sanchez-Ramos, and Alex Rodriguez.

GAME 1 | W, 8-3 | Box Score

The senior Alex Lozada went five innings for the game one start and despite allowing two runs in the first two innings, he came back to throw three consecutive shutout innings and struck out six Bobcats.

In the bottom of the second, the Bobcats helped Park out with an errant throw on a sacrifice bunt by Houston Penrod, which brought in Zayne Morrow and Ricardo Hernandez on the play. The very next play, Edward Gonzalez shot a ball into centerfield to bring in the courtesy running Corey Bradford.

Things got interesting in the top of the sixth, as the Bobcats got another run to tie the game, 3-3.

A couple walks by Peru State set up Yadiel Santana for an RBI single to centerfield. With two outs, Billy Rivera got hit by a pitch to load the bases with Gilberto Torres due up. The junior transfer from Ranger Community College doubled down the leftfield line to clear the bases, 7-3. The next batter, Sanchez knocked in Torres for the game's final run, 8-3.

Two doubles for Torres in the game were the only extra-base hits for either team.

Bryce Perdieu then came in to pitch a scoreless seventh inning for the game one win.

GAME 2 | W, 8-6 | Box Score

Adam Stilts was on the mound for game two on senior day, which was a strong performance of six quality innings with five strikeouts for his eighth win of the season. He is now only one win away from tying the single-season wins record held by assistant coach Adam Clay.

The Pirates offense was rolling early with six runs through the first three innings and scored in all but two innings this game.

A three-run home run by Torres in the bottom of the first inning was a huge lift to begin the game for the Pirates.

Some resistance by the Bobcats amounted in three runs, but the senior Rodriguez had a simple approach in the second inning with a runner on third and grounded out to the second baseman to score the go-ahead run, 4-3.

Hernandez went yard in the third inning to straight away leftfield for a two-run home run for a 6-3 lead.

Park struck again in the bottom of the sixth with RBI singles from Marrow and Bradford for the 8-3 lead.

Peru State had fight left in them though with three runs in the sixth inning, all with two outs. Peru State harnessed some momentum by pitching a scoreless bottom of the sixth, but the senior Perdieu shut the door with two flyouts and a strikeout for his 10^th save of his career, adding to the all-time career saves record he earned early this year.

GAME 3 | L, 1-3 | Box Score

The senior Bradford got Park to the lead again with an RBI single through the left side in the second inning.

Raul Garcia took the hill in game three with two scoreless innings to begin his day. An error on a dropped popup in the third inning set up an RBI double for the tying run, 1-1.

The very next inning a solo home run gave the Bobcats their first lead since game one, but then added another run in the sixth inning.

Park had seven hits in the game, but also had seven runners left on base for the game. In the  sixth, Park was able to get to the pen after Morrow was hit by a pitch with one out. Peru State's third-baseman and three-hole hitter moved into a closing situation on the mound and in one pitch got a double-play to end the inning.

No comeback would be in the cards for the Pirates in game three as Garret Pavletich earned his eighth save of the season.

Despite only allowing three hits, Garcia would get the loss on only one earned run. The senior Barnett and Bryan Aguirre would follow up Garcia for the sixth and seventh innings, as Peru State moved on to the 3-1 win.

GAME 4 | W, 14-4 | Box Score

Park unloaded 15 hits in the series finale, but also benefited from five errors by the Bobcats. 12 different Pirates got hits with Bradley Schram having a great three-for-four day with two RBI's.

Game four was moved to Monday and with the upcoming conference tournament, the Pirates kept a light load for the pitching staff with seven Pirates getting an inning of action each. Sebastian Del Olmo worked around two walks and threw a scoreless inning, but because he would not throw at least four complete innings, the win passed to the next Pirate reliever Dash Goldston. Goldston picked up his first win of the season and threw a hitless second inning. Barnett and John Brady kept the scoreless streak alive, and then the game was closed out by three seniors Hoffman, Sipes, and Weaver.

Two doubles by the Pirates in the first inning by Hernandez and Schramm busted the game open, as five runs came across on three hits and two errors.

The last four innings amounted to nine runs for the Pirates, which overshadowed four runs coming in to score in the final three innings for the Bobcats.

Evan Johnson and Blake Antle kept the offense rolling in the bottom of the fifth with RBI singles for an 11-2 lead. The next inning, Brandon Walker doubled to bring in Jarrett Hamlett and then Andrew Rodriguez scored on an errant throw from the Bobcats' second baseman. Tom Hillgartner got in on the scoring action with a single to score Walker in the sixth for the 14^th run.

The No. 4 Pirates in the 2024 Heart Conference Tournament and will face No. 5 Baker at 1:30pm in Ozark, Mo. at the Ozark Mountain Sports Complex. WATCH

See the full bracket for the Heart tournament here.