CLAREMORE, Okla. – No. 3-seeded University of Central Missouri Mules Baseball jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 9-2 win over the No. 2-seeded and host Rogers State University Hillcats in the NCAA Division II Central Regional winner's bracket on Friday evening, May 15, at the RCB Bank Sports Complex.
The Mules (36-15) will face the winner of the No. 7 Missouri Southern (34-18) and No. 2 Rogers State (39-14) elimination game on Saturday, May 16, at 5 p.m. in Claremore in the Central Regional semifinals.
UCM scored two runs in the top of the first and a run in the top of the second for its early 3-0 advantage.
Cole Kreisel crossed home plate on a
Cole Funkhouser RBI sacrifice bunt for the first run of the game before
Evan Vienhage singled to right field, driving in
Chase Wilcox for the 2-0 lead. Grant Holliser made it 3-0, Mules, when he belted an RBI double to right field that allowed
Drew Veatch to score in the second inning.
The Mules upped their lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning when
Jackson Bryant hit a two-run, two-out double to left-center that drove in Vienhage and Funkhouser, prior to adding two more runs in the sixth on a Funkhouser RBI single and a Rogers State error.
Central Missouri plated its eighth run of the game in the seventh on a Hollister RBI fielder's choice, and its ninth and final run of the contest in the top of the ninth on a Veatch RBI double to left field.
Funkhouser,
Kaleb Ceola, and Veatch each had three hits, and Funkhouser, Hollister, and Bryant each drove in two runs, pacing UCM at the plate.
Central Missouri relief pitcher
Gavin Killion (3-4) earned the win on the mound after allowing no earned runs on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk in two innings, while fellow reliever
Kasey Crawford secured his first save of the season after finishing the game and tossing three innings, giving up one earned run on four hits with one strikeout and one walk.
For the game, UCM outhit Rogers State, 17-12.
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