Fayette, Mo. - The Central Methodist Baseball program split two games Sunday afternoon. The Eagles began the day with an 8-3 victory over Olivet Nazarene followed by a 7-2 loss to Saint Xavier in the finale. 

CMU now stands at an even 8-8 through their first 16 games of 2023. 

Against the Tigers, Central fell behind early 2-0 in the top of the second inning. CMU responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from Jeremy Conforti. 

Olivet added a run in the fourth to trim the lead to 5-3, before Central added three more runs on a two-run home run from Joseph Weatherford and an error by the left fielder that scored Terry Tolliver Jr. 

The Eagles finished the day with eight runs on seven hits with four walks. 

Senior ace Alan West earned his third win of the year, throwing a complete game on the bump. He allowed just three earned runs on seven hits and struck out two batters. 

Central strugged to recreate their offensive output against Saint Xavier in the evening game. 

The Cougars jumped out in front early with four runs in the opening inning. Saint Xavier added to its lead with a pair of runs in the third and a run in the fifth. 

CMU ultimately got on the board in the bottom half of the seventh, courtesy of two-run home run from Tanner Sears. The Eagles were unable to plate anymore runs, as the Cougars went on to earn the five-run victory. 

Clayton Burke got the start on the bump, tossing four complete innings with seven K's. Alexander Billo threw the final three innings and held the Cougars to just one hit and a walk. 

The Eagles will play two more Monday night at Estes Field, beginning with a 4:00 p.m. matchup against Columbia College. Central will conclude the tournament with a 7:00 p.m. showdown against William Woods. 

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