WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Third-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball scored five runs in the first and second innings and never looked back enroute to an 11-4 win over the No. 24-ranked Fort Hays State Tigers in the series finale of a three-game MIAA series Sunday afternoon, March 30, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
The Mules (22-7, 13-4 MIAA) secure the 2-1 series victory over the Tigers (21-8, 16-4 MIAA) and are scheduled to host Northwest Missouri State (14-16, 8-9 MIAA) in a midweek MIAA contest Tuesday, April 1, at 3 p.m. in Warrensburg.
Dayvin Johnson hit a lead-off triple to right-center before scoring on
Jacob Steele's sacrifice fly to give UCM a 1-0 lead in the first inning before a two-RBI double to right-center off the bat of
Cole Kreisel, RBI single to center field from
Kaleb Ceola, and an RBI sacrifice bunt from Steele upped Central Missouri's lead to 5-0 in the second inning.
Fort Hays State scored two in the top of the fourth to cut the UCM lead to 5-2, but
Grant Hollister's first-collegiate home run – a solo shot to left field – pushed the Mule advantage to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth.
The Tigers cut the Central Missouri advantage to 6-4 with two runs in the top of the seventh, but again UCM had an immediate response as Hollister scored
Chase Wilcox on an RBI double to right-center, bumping the lead to 7-4.
The Mules blew the game open in the bottom of the eighth, scoring four runs on Kreisel infield single, Ceola double to left-center, and Johnson's seventh home run of the 2025 – a two-run round-tripper to right field – for the 11-4 final tally.
Kreisel was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, two runs and three RBI, Hollister was 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two runs and two RBI, Ceola was 2-for-3 with a double, run and two RBI, and Johnson was 2-for-4 with a triple, homer, two runs and two RBI, pacing UCM at the plate.
Central Missouri starting pitcher
Jack Scott (3-1) earned the win on the mound, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts in five innings while
Sam Wyrick secured his second save of 2025, giving up no earned runs on one hit with two strikeouts and one walk in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
For the game, UCM outhit Fort Hays State, 14-12, and turned a season-best three double plays in the field.
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