Ozark, Mo. - The No. 1 Central Methodist baseball program advanced to the Heart Championship series with an 8-4 victory over No. 3 seeded MidAmerica Nazarene University in the conference tournament Saturday afternoon in Ozark, Mo.
Central improves its overall record 42-5, while the Pioneers fall to 37-13.
After a scoreless first inning, the Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead with three runs in the second. Mason Schwellenbach started the inning with a single to the pitcher's mound followed by a walk from Logan McDonald. A wild pitch by MNU moved both runners up 90 feet.
A single from Grant Victor back up the middle scored two and Kenny Otero would double two batters later to bring home Isaiah Davis. The Pioneers responded with runs in the second and third innings to trim Central's lead to 3-2.
The Eagles pushed their lead to 4-2 with an RBI single to left field from Deshawn Cole in the fourth. After the Pioneers added a run in the bottom of the frame, CMU scored a pair of runs courtesy of an RBI from Adrian Martinez and a bases loaded walk from Devon Garcia which scored Sergio Macias.
MNU continued to chip away at the Eagles' lead with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. A wild pitch from CMU allowed the Pioneer runner to dash home from third. However, the Eagles were able to get out of the jam, forcing a 3-6 double play in the following at bat to end the inning.
Central sealed the game with a pair of runs in the eighth. Otero and Logan Haring were both hit with back-to-back pitches, putting two runners on with no outs. Macias then grounded into a fielder's choice, but an error by the Pioneers second basemen allowed all runners to reach base safely.
Schwellenbach and McDonald then collected back-to-back singles to left field, giving Central an 8-4 lead. Macias came in relief for the final two innings on the bump, closing the door on any MNU comeback and propelling Central to the Heart Championship Series.
Four Eagles collected two hits including Otero, Schwellenbach, McDonald, and Victor. Victor also drove in two runners, while Haring, Macias, and Otero each picked up a double. Overall, the Central offense collected eight runs on 12 hits, three of which were for extra bases. The Eagle bats also drew six walks.
Heart Pitcher of the Year Nick Merkel got the start on the bump, tossing six complete innings and giving up three earned runs on 10 hits with a walk and three strikeouts to earn his 11th win of 2021.
Dylan Brister came in relief in the seventh, allowing one unearned run. Macias tossed the final two innings for CMU, striking out four batters.
The Eagles advance to the Heart Championship series Monday, May 10 at 2:00 p.m. CMU will face the winner of the William Penn/MNU matchup, set to take place at 11:00 a.m. Monday morning.
The winner of the championship series will earn one of the two automatic berths for the league in the NAIA Baseball National Championship. The tournament's runner-up will receive the other automatic bid to the national stage.
#TakeFlight
