FAYETTE, Mo. – The No. 10-ranked Eagles are tough to beat at home; that might be because nobody has done it yet in 2017. Faced with a tough Evangel University opponent, the Central Methodist University baseball team improved its home record to 16-0 Saturday afternoon as they crushed nine home runs in a 14-5, 15-14 sweep of the Crusaders at Estes Field to finish off the four-game sweep of EU.
DeAndre Smith (JR/Fresno, Calif.) (pictured on right) led the CMU offensive charge as he sent three pitches out of the park on the day, including a walk-off shot in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 2, putting his season total to eight. Smith, who finished the weekend series with four homers, finished the day 5-for-6, with four RBIs and five runs scored. Brandon Alcala (JR/Alameda, Calif.) (pictured on left) was 5-for-7, with a triple, two doubles, three runs batted in and four runs scored. Dustin Macaluso had a 3-for-6 day, with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored.
"It was a dogfight all weekend," said Central Methodist head coach Nate Breland. "Evangel came to play and at the end of the day it was who scored the most runs or who scored last.
"We had some unbelievable offensive performances from key guys this weekend. DeAndre Smith hit three home runs in this game; all of them were either tying or game-winning home runs for us. It was a tremendous effort."
The Eagles, who have won 29 out of their last 33 games, improved to 32-8 (.800) on the year and continue to lead the Heart of America Athletic Conference Southern Division with a 16-4 mark. CMU leads Benedictine College (27-16, 16-6 Heart) by one full game. Evangel University dropped to 22-22 on the season, 9-15 in league play.
GAME 1 RECAP
Central Methodist pounded out 11 hits in Game 1, pushing 14 runs across the plate and marking the 13th time in 39 games that the Eagles have hit a double-digit run total. It was the 24th game this season that a CMU player has hit a home run and the eighth time they have hit multiple home runs in a game.
Zach Beckner (SR/Versailles, Kent.), who connected with his ninth home run of the season, smashed a three-run shot in the sixth inning. Logan Haring (FR/DeKalb, Ill.) hit his sixth of the year in the same frame as the Eagles had back-to-back homers. Jared Johnson (JR/DeKalb, Ill.) connected with his fifth home run of the year in the fourth frame, a two-run shot. And Fernando Villegas (JR/Hutchinson, Minn.) hit his third round-tripper of the season.
Johnson had the best game at the plate for Central Methodist, finishing 3-for-4, with four runs scored on a homer and a double, with a pair of runs driven in. Beckner was 2-for-3, with four RBIs and another scored. Alcala was also 2-for-3, with a double and a pair of runs scored. Villegas was 1-for-2, with two runs driven in and another scored.
Tyler Hull (SO/New Franklin, Mo.) improved his record to 7-2 on the mound as he started the game and picked up the victory. In five frames he allowed five runs on 11 scattered hits, with three strikeouts and three walks. Kyle Fulton (JR/Monroe City, Mo.) came out of the CMU bullpen and recorded the save. In the final two innings he did not allow a hit, while striking out three.
Five different pitchers saw action on the hill for Evangel. Derek Kennell (6-3) took the loss. In four innings he allowed six runs on five hits, with four strikeouts and three walks.
GAME 2 RECAP
Smith stole the show with his three-home run performance, including stepping to the plate in the bottom of the eighth and sending a 2-2 pitch over the right field fence. CMU outhit Evangel 18-14, marking the 14th game of the year that CMU has hit double-digit runs, the 25th time a player has hit a home run and ninth time this season that the Eagles have had multiple homers.
Smith was a perfect 4-for-4 in the game, with four RBIs, four runs scored and three homers. Alcala went 3-for-4, with a triple, a double, three runs batted in and two runs scored. Macaluso homered, drove in three runs and scored another on a 3-for-5 effort, Quinn Conley (SR/Thousand Oaks, Calif.) doubled and singled and scored a run, Beckner doubled and singled, pushed in a run and scored a run and Villegas homered, drove in a pair of runs and scored another in a 2-for-4 effort.
"It was a great day," Smith said after the game. "I've never had a day like this before. I just hung in there and let my bat do my work for me."
Five Central Methodist pitchers worked on the mound in the contest. Andrew Thomas (JR/Parker, Colo.) (1-0) picked up the win in relief. He pitched 1.2 frames, not allowing a hit, while fanning two and walking one. Deric Link (2-4) was the losing pitcher for the Crusaders.
WHAT'S UP NEXT FOR THE EAGLES?
Central Methodist will now go on the road for its next six games. The Eagles will be in Dubuque, Iowa, on Tuesday for a key Heart doubleheader against No. 11-ranked Clarke University at 1 p.m. CMU will then be in Baldwin City, Kansas, for a four-game series with Baker University next Saturday and Sunday.
CMU Baseball Contact: John Krueger
Phone: 936-332-9332 | jkrueger@centralmethodist.edu
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