WICHITA, Kan. – Third-ranked and MIAA Regular Season Champion Central Missouri Mules Baseball capped off its 2025 regular season schedule with a 9-3 victory over the Newman Jets Saturday, May 3, at McCarthy Field, completing a three-game, MIAA series sweep over Newman.
The Mules (38-10, 29-7 MIAA) will be the top seed in the 2025 MIAA Baseball Tournament and will face a to be determined opponent in a quarterfinal game on Thursday, May 8, at 1 p.m. at Warren Turner Field in Joplin, Mo.
Vance Tobol provided an instant spark for UCM Saturday, blasting a two-run homer to right field in the top of the first inning to put the Mules ahead, 2-0. It was his team-high 19th home run of the season.
Central Missouri increased its advantage to 3-0 on an RBI ground-out from
Grant Hollister in the fourth inning before Newman (10-36, 6-30 MIAA) responded with two runs in the bottom-half of the fourth, trimming the UCM lead to 3-2.
The Mules instantly answered, however, plating three runs in the top of the fifth when
Dayvin Johnson worked a bases-loaded walk and Tobol belted a two-RBI single to left field for the 6-2 advantage.
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Chase Heath RBI sacrifice bunt in the seventh inning upped the UCM lead to 7-2 prior to Tobol hitting a two-run double to left field in the top of the ninth inning for Central Missouri's eighth and ninth runs of the game.
Tobol went 4-for-5 with a homer, double, two runs and six RBI while
Will Krzykowski was 2-for-4 with a double and run and
Cole Kreisel was 1-for-2 with two runs, leading UCM at the plate.
Central Missouri relief pitcher
Cody Bruss (2-1) earned the victory on the mound after giving up no earned runs on four hits with one strikeout and zero walks in 1 2/3 innings while
Jack Kreisman secured his first career save after throwing four innings out of the bullpen and allowing one earned run on two hits with four strikeouts and no walks on 53 pitches.
The Jets outhit the Mules, 11-9, but UCM had five stolen bases in the contest while holding Newman to just one stolen base.
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