WARRENSBURG, Mo. – No. 1-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball held off a furious late rally from Emporia State, defeating the Hornets, 13-10, in the opening game of a three-game MIAA series on a rainy Saturday afternoon, April 5, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
The Mules (23-8, 14-5 MIAA) and Hornets (16-14, 9-10 MIAA) are slated to play game two of the series Sunday, April 6, at 2 p.m. in Warrensburg.
Central Missouri plated led 13-4 after scoring two runs in the first inning, five in the second, two in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth before Emporia State mounted a ferocious comeback and plated six runs in the top of the seventh inning to trim the UCM lead to 13-10.
That was as close as the Hornets could get, though, as Central Missouri relief pitcher
Chris Massey and
JD McReynolds tossed 2 1/3 shutout innings to seal the Mule triumph.
Dayvin Johnson went 3-for-5 with three runs, two doubles and four RBI,
Jacob Steele was 2-for-5 with his fifth home run of the season, a run and three RBI,
Grant Hollister was 2-for-4 with a double, triple and two runs batted in, and
Kaleb Ceola was 2-for-4 with a run, pacing UCM at the plate.
Central Missouri reliever
Jake Wilson (3-0) earned the win on the mound, giving up six runs – three earned – on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 2 2/3 innings of work while McReynolds secured his second save of 2025 after throwing a scoreless and hitless top of the ninth inning with two strikeouts.
Noah Steele was 4-for-6 with a home run, two runs and four RBI, leading the Hornets offensively.
Emporia State starting pitcher Graeme Rios (4-2) took the setback on the rubber, surrendering nine runs – six earned – on 11 hits with three strikeouts and one walk in four innings.
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