WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Jack Schark homered and drove in three runs as No. 4-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball turned back the Rogers State Hillcats, 7-2, in the opening game of a best-of-three MIAA Baseball Championship first round series Friday, May 5, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
With the win, the Mules (37-13) gain a 1-0 lead in the series and pull within one win of advancing to the MIAA Baseball Championship semifinals.
The Hillcats (26-21) plated a run in the top of the first to gain a 1-0 lead, but UCM had an instant response in the bottom-half of the inning after
Carter Young hit a lead-off single and Schark crushed a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for a two-run home run, his fourth round-tripper of the season, to put Central Missouri in front for good, 2-1.
The Mules upped their advantage to 4-1 in the fourth when
Vance Tobol smacked a two-RBI single through the left side, scoring Schark and Young.
UCM made it 6-1 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth after Young was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, driving in
Brennen van Breusegen, and Schark belted an RBI single to right-center, plating
Max Holy.
Central Missouri tallied its seventh and final run of the game in the eighth inning when
Cole Moore scored
John Prudhom on a sacrifice bunt.
Schark went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI while Tobol was 3-for-5 with a double and two runs driven in, pacing the Mules at the plate in the game.
UCM right-handed starter
Conner Wolf (9-3) earned the victory on the mound after giving up just one earned run on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk in six innings.
AJ Folds went 3-for-5 with a double and RBI, leading Rogers State offensively.
Hillcat starter Rece Parker (6-4) suffered the setback on the rubber, surrendering six earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and four walks in 4 1/3 innings of work.
Central Missouri and Rogers State will play game two of the series Saturday, May 6, at 6 p.m. in Warrensburg.
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