WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Central Missouri Mules Baseball belted four homers to help it take down the No. 5-seeded Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys, 21-8, in the winner's bracket of the NCAA-II Central Regional Friday evening, May 16, at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.
The Mules (40-11) will face the winner of the No. 5 Arkansas Tech (32-22) and No. 8 Harding (40-18) elimination game on Saturday, May 17, at 6 p.m. in Warrensburg in the Central Regional semifinals.
Central Missouri jumped out to a 6-0 lead after scoring four runs in the first inning and two in the second before the Wonder Boys plated four runs in the bottom of the third to trim the UCM lead to 6-4.
The Mules pushed the lead to three runs, 7-4, when
Chase Heath belted a towering solo home run to left field in the top of the fourth inning but Arkansas Tech answered, scoring one run in the bottom of the fourth and sixth to cut the Central Missouri advantage to 7-6.
UCM responded with six runs in the top of the seventh inning.
Jacob Steele and
Dayvin Johnson hit back-to-back home runs for four of the Mules' six runs in the frame. Steele crushed a three-run homer to left field, his 13th round-tripper of 2025, before Johnson smashed a solo home run off the left field stadium light pole for his 15th homer of the season.
Chase Wilcox provided the final two runs of the inning, hitting a two-RBI single to right field, pushing Central Missouri's lead to 13-6.
The Mules kept their foot on the gas in the eighth and ninth innings, scoring four runs in each inning to secure the 21-8 victory.
Heath pulverized a baseball over the left field wall with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth for a grand slam, his second homer of the game and seventh of the season.
For the game, Heath went 3-for-4 with two home runs, four runs and eight RBI while Steele was 2-for-3 with a homer, five runs, four RBI and four walks,
Vance Tobol was 3-for-5 with two runs, two doubles and two runs batted in,
Grant Hollister was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI, and
Will Krzykowski was 2-for-4 with four runs, pacing UCM at the plate.
Central Missouri relief pitcher
Egan Keeler (3-0) earned the win on the mound after allowing two unearned runs on one hit in an inning while
Jack Scott secured his first career save after throwing five innings out of the bullpen and giving up three earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and zero walks.
The Mules' 21 runs marked a season high. For the game, UCM outhit Arkansas Tech, 16-11.
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