POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. — College of the Ozarks used late-game toughness to salvage a doubleheader split Tuesday, falling 4-1 in eight innings in the opener before walking off Mission (Mo.) 6-5 in extra innings in Game 2 at Coach Bob Smith Field.

The decisive swing of the day came in the bottom of the eighth in the nightcap, when pinch-hitter Cole Hilton delivered a game-winning RBI single to center to cap a back-and-forth contest and hand the Bobcats a 6-5 victory. The hit completed a response to Mission’s earlier comeback and allowed College of the Ozarks to close the twin bill on a high note after dropping a tight first game.

In Game 2, the Bobcats built early separation with a four-run second inning. College of the Ozarks capitalized on a throwing error that brought home two runs, then continued the frame with additional offense to stretch the lead to 4-0. The attack put pressure on Mission’s defense and set the tone for a game that would be decided by which side could withstand multiple momentum swings.

Mission chipped away, using a sacrifice fly by Collin Miser in the fourth inning and an RBI double by Zachary Beatty in the fifth to trim the deficit. The visitors then put together a three-run rally in the sixth to move in front 5-4, aided by a fielding error and run-scoring singles from Carter Vienhage, Ryan Free and Drew Vaughan. Despite surrendering the lead, the Bobcats’ bullpen kept the damage to a single run margin and gave the offense a chance to answer in the late innings.

College of the Ozarks did exactly that, eventually pushing the game into extra innings and setting up Hilton’s heroics in the eighth. The Bobcats finished with six runs on seven hits while drawing six walks, staying patient enough at the plate to pressure Mission throughout the contest. Reliever Carder Riley anchored the staff over 3 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run with two strikeouts on 54 pitches to steady the game after Mission’s middle-inning surge.

The opener followed a different script, as College of the Ozarks led most of the way behind a strong start from right-hander Chandler Eubanks before Mission rallied late for a 4-1, eight-inning win. Eubanks worked seven innings, limiting Mission to five hits and one run while striking out six on 82 pitches. The Bobcats played efficient run-prevention baseball early, allowing just a solo home run in the seventh before the visitors broke through in extra innings.

College of the Ozarks struck first in Game 1 when Eubanks helped his own cause with a sacrifice fly in the third inning, giving the Bobcats a 1-0 lead. That advantage held until the seventh, when Mission’s Sam Golden tied the game with a solo home run. In the top of the eighth, Mission strung together the decisive three-run rally: Drew Vaughan led off with a double and moved to third on a passed ball, Collin Miser followed with a two-run single, and Golden added an RBI fielder’s choice to make it 4-1. Mission’s bullpen then closed out the final half-inning to secure the win.

Over the two games, College of the Ozarks pitching logged 16 combined innings and allowed only three earned runs in regulation frames before the two extra-inning decisions. Eubanks’ seven-inning outing in Game 1 and Riley’s extended relief appearance in Game 2 stood out, while the Bobcats’ offense showed resiliency, scoring in five different innings across the doubleheader and producing the decisive late swing from Hilton to earn the split.

The Bobcats return to Sooner Athletic Conference play this Friday and Saturday at home against Southwestern Christian University.