WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Isaiah Keller hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs, and
Evan O'Toole tallied four strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings leading No. 2-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball past the Central Oklahoma Bronchos, 8-3, in the opening game of a three-game MIAA series Friday evening, April 11, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
The Mules (26-9, 17-6 MIAA) and Bronchos (29-9, 19-7 MIAA) are slated to play game two of the series at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 12, in Warrensburg.
Central Missouri jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Grant Hollister drove in
Chase Wilcox and
Jacob Steele with a two-run single through the right side before
Vance Tobol crossed home plate on an RBI ground out off the bat of Keller and Hollister scored on a Central Oklahoma error, for the four runs in the first.
The Bronchos cut the UCM lead to 4-3 after a run in the fifth and two runs in the top of the seventh, but the Mules answered quickly, plating four runs in the bottom-half of the seventh to push their advantage to 8-3.
Wilcox hit an RBI single to right field, plating Steele prior to Keller belting the first pitch he saw over the right field wall for a three-run round-tripper, his fourth home run of 2025, for Central Missouri's second, third and fourth runs of the frame.
For the game, Keller was 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBI while Steele and Hollister each had two hits, leading UCM at the plate.
O'Toole (5-0) earned the win on the mound after giving up three runs – one earned – on four hits with four strikeouts and one walk on 92 pitches while
JD McReynolds secured his team-high third save of 2025 after tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, giving up just one hit with four strikeouts and one walk.
Central Oklahoma starting pitcher Brett Pense (4-1) suffered the setback on the rubber, surrendering four runs – three earned – on six hits with six strikeouts and three walks in six innings of work.
