WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Brennen van Breusegen had four hits, including an inside-the-park homer, and drove in five runs leading No. 1-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball to an 8-5, comeback win over the Pittsburg State Gorillas Friday, April 15, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
With the victory, the Mules (32-4, 25-1 MIAA) clinched their 28th MIAA Regular Season Championship in program history and their 10th straight series win against an opponent this season.
A native of Columbia, Ill., van Breusegen went a game-best 4-for-5 with a double, going along with his inside-the-park home run and five RBIs, while
Garrett Pennington and
Cole Moore each had a pair of hits, including doubles, leading Central Missouri at the plate. Van Breusegen's round-tripper was his ninth of the season and the second inside-the-parker for the redshirt sophomore.
UCM reliever
Caleb Rogge (2-0) earned the victory on the mound after tossing a scoreless and hitless seventh inning with a strikeout, and
Brady Gavin secured his team-best fifth save of 2022, throwing scoreless eighth and ninth innings with six strikeouts and only one walk on 37 pitches.
The Mules scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 6-5 lead. Van Breusegen smacked an RBI single up the middle for the opening run of the frame before Pennington and Moore hit back-to-back RBI doubles, putting Central Missouri in front, 6-5.
UCM tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, upping its advantage to 8-5 on a
Chase Heath RBI single to left field and a van Breusegen RBI ground-out.
Garrett McGowan went 3-for-4 with a home run and RBI, pacing the Gorillas (23-15, 17-9 MIAA).
Pittsburg State reliever Zach Nagel (3-1) suffered the loss on the rubber after surrendering three earned runs on three hits with a walk in a third of an inning.
The Mules are scheduled to face the Gorillas in the series finale of the three-game MIAA series Saturday, April 16, at 1 p.m. Saturday's game is UCM Athletics Military Appreciation and Senior Day, with all active and retired military personnel and their family members receiving free admission to the game by showing a valid ID at the ticket office. Central Missouri will honor its 2022 Senior Class after the conclusion of the game.
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