WARRENSBURG, Mo. – For the 16th time in program history, Central Missouri Baseball sits atop the MIAA. The No. 4-ranked Mules secured their fifth straight and 16th overall MIAA Baseball Tournament Championship in emphatic fashion, dismantling No. 11-ranked Missouri Southern, 15-0 in seven innings, Saturday afternoon, May 13, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
With the win, the Mules (41-13) secure the MIAA's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament. The full NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament field will be announced on the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament Selection Show Sunday, May 14, at 10 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.
Central Missouri scored four runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back enroute to the run-rule triumph. UCM plated at least one run in every inning except the fourth and fifth, including a six-run explosion in the top of the seventh that sealed the tournament crown.
Vance Tobol went 3-for-3 with a triple and four RBI,
Cole Moore had three hits, including a triple,
Max Holy drove in three runs,
Mason Lowe belted his third homer of the season,
Jack Schark went 2-for-4 with a double, four runs scored and two stolen bases, and
John Prudhom was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI, leading Central Missouri at the plate.
UCM left-handed starting pitcher
Cole Schroeder (1-1) earned the win on the mound, throwing six shutout innings and allowing just two hits with four strikeouts and only one walk on 79 pitches.
Lowe was named the MIAA Baseball Championship Most Outstanding Player while Holy, Moore, Tobol, Schroeder and pitcher
Cole LaLonde joined him on the All-Tournament Team.
Ethan Clark went 1-for-3 with a double, pacing Missouri Southern (42-15).
MSSU starting pitcher Kyle Moore (8-4) suffered the setback on the rubber, giving up six earned runs on eight hits with one walk in 1 1/3 innings.
Â
