WARRENSBURG, Mo. – No. 4-ranked and top-seeded Central Missouri Mules baseball scored six runs in the top of the 11th inning to break a 2-2 tie and post an 8-2 victory over the sixth-seeded Northeastern State RiverHawks Friday, May 12, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field in the MIAA Baseball Championship.
With the win, the Mules (40-13) secure a spot in the tournament championship game and will face the winner of the No. 2 seed Missouri Southern vs. No. 6 seed Northeastern State elimination game at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 13, in Warrensburg.
Trailing 2-1 going into the ninth inning,
Jack Schark smacked a one-out RBI single up the middle, scoring
Mason Lowe, who led-off the frame with a single to centerfield, tying the contest, 2-2.
UCM right-handed relief pitcher
JD McReynolds threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth with a ground-out, fly-out and strikeout, sending the game into extra innings.
Neither team was able to score in the 10th inning, moving the contest into the 11th frame.
In the 11th,
Cole Moore belted a one-out, RBI single to right field, bringing in Schark, giving UCM the 3-2 advantage.
Max Holy and
Chase Heath both worked bases-loaded walks, plating two more runs for the Mules, prior to Lowe roping a two-RBI single to left field and
Carter Young hitting an RBI single through the left side, ballooning the Central Missouri lead to 8-2.
Reliever
Ethan Peterson worked a scoreless bottom of the 11th, securing the victory for the Mules.
Young, Moore and Lowe all had two hits, with Lowe and Holy each tallying two RBI, leading UCM at the plate.
McReynolds (5-0) earned the win on the mound after giving up no earned runs on no hits with two strikeouts and zero walks in two innings. UCM right-handed starting pitcher
Cole LaLonde threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no earned runs on four hits with eight Ks and just one walk on 90 pitches.
Brayden Rodden went 2-for-4 with a double, leading the RiverHawks (25-27) offensively).
Northeastern State reliever Cole White (3-4) suffered the loss on the rubber after surrendering six earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts and five walks in 2 2/3 innings of work.
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