WARRENSBURG, Mo. – No. 4-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball turned back the Fort Hays State Tigers, 11-6, in the second game of a three-game MIAA series Saturday afternoon, April 29, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
With the win, the Mules (35-13, 26-6 MIAA) clinched at least a share of their 29th MIAA Regular Season Championship in program history and the top seed in the MIAA Baseball Championship.
UCM got on the scoreboard early, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first after
John Prudhom crushed a 1-2 pitch over the left-centerfield fence for a two-run homer – his team-high-tying 15th round-tripper of the season.
After Fort Hays State (20-29, 10-22 MIAA) gained a 3-2 advantage with three runs in the top of the third, the Mules answered immediately in the bottom-half of the inning, scoring a pair of runs when Prudhom plated
Carter Young on a sacrifice fly to centerfield and
Cole Moore smacked an RBI single through the left side, scoring
Vance Tobol, putting Central Missouri back in front, 4-3.
UCM increased its lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning after
Jack Schark roped an RBI single up the middle, driving in
Mason Lowe.
The Mules kept the pedal to the metal and added to their lead with four runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Max Holy crushed a two-run home run to left-center, his third of 2023, for the opening two runs of the frame before Prudhom hit a two-RBI double to left-center, bringing in Schark and
Adamo Stornello, upping the UCM lead to 9-3.
Central Missouri added two more runs in the eighth when
Isaiah Pani demolished a baseball over the left field fence for a two-run homer, his third home run of the season, ballooning the lead to 11-3.
Prudhom went 2-for-5 with a home run, double and five RBI while Schark and Tobol each had four hits in five at bats, leading the Mules at the plate in the win.
UCM reliever
Tyler Kotsis (3-0) earned the victory on the mound after giving up no earned runs on one hit with three strikeouts and zero walks in two innings.
Isaiah Ural went 4-for-5 with three RBI, pacing the Tigers offensively.
Fort Hays State starting pitcher Jake Campbell (3-1) suffered the loss on the rubber, surrendering five earned runs on 10 hits with one strikeout and one walk in 3 2/3 innings of work.
Central Missouri and Fort Hays State will play the third and final game of the series Sunday, April 30, at 1 p.m. in Warrensburg. With a win, the Mules can clinch the 2023 MIAA Regular Season Title outright. Sunday's game will also be Senior Day, with the Mules honoring their senior class in a postgame ceremony.
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