WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Sixth-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball stayed alive in the NCAA-II Central Region Tournament Saturday, May 21, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field, earning a dominate 19-5 victory over the Ouachita Baptist Tigers before defeating the Augustana (S.D.) Vikings, 7-4.
The Mules (46-8) will take on the Vikings (46-11-1) Sunday, May 22, at 1 p.m. with a berth in an NCAA-II Super Regional on the line.
In the game one triumph over Ouachita (33-24), Central Missouri used a 10-run second inning to race out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back, plating 19 runs on 24 hits on the way to the 19-5 win.
Isaiah Pani went 4-for-4 with three doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored while
Donovan Ditto went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer – his fourth home run of the season – and a double to go along with four runs batted in,
Garrett Pennington and
Harrison Schnurbusch each doubled twice, and
John Prudhom had three hits, including a double and triple, pacing the Mules at the plate.
UCM right-handed starting pitcher
Max Abramovich (1-1) earned the victory on the mound, allowing five earned runs on five hits with one strikeout in a season-best 5 1/3 innings pitched, while reliever
Hunter Little picked up his first career save after closing out the game with 3 2/3 innings of relief and allowing no earned runs on three hits with six strikeouts.
Wyatt Core was 3-for-5 with a double, and G. Allen and Jaxon Chaney homered, pacing Ouachita Baptist in the batter's box.
OBU starter Garret Hermes (3-3) suffered the setback on the rubber, surrendering six earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.
In the nightcap victory over Augustana, the Mules trailed the Vikings, 4-3, before scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 5-4 lead after
Jacob Steele was hit by a pitch with two outs and
Michael Chrisman destroyed a baseball over the right field wall for a two-run, go-ahead homer. It was Chrisman's sixth round-tripper of the season.
Central Missouri tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh when Pani roped an RBI double to right field, bringing in Pennington, prior to Ditto hitting a sacrifice fly to centerfield, allowing Pani to tag up from third and beat the throw to the plate, upping the Mule advantage to 7-4.
Brennen van Breusegen went 3-for-4 with a double, while Pani and Chrisman each had two hits, and Ditto and Chrisman drove in three runs apiece, leading UCM offensively in the nightcap. Pennington and
Sam Tatum each collected doubles, respectively.
Mule reliever
Conner Wolf (5-1) earned the win on the mound, giving up just one hit in 4 1/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Brady Gavin secured his team-best eighth save of 2022 after throwing a scoreless ninth and allowing just one hit with two strikeouts.
Carter Howell went 2-for-4 with a triple, home run and two RBIs, pacing the Vikings.
Augie reliever Caleb Saari (7-3) took the loss after allowing four earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
UCM outhit Augustana, 11-9, and turned four double plays in the win.
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