Springfield, Mo. - The Central Methodist Baseball program won three of four games against the Evangel Valor in Springfield, Mo this weekend. It marks the final regular season matchup between the two Heart schools, as Evangel will be heading to the KCAC beginning next year.
Game 1: Evangel 2 - CMU 1
Central found themselves in a pitcher's duel in the opener, trailing 1-0 entering the top of the fifth inning. CMU plated its lone run of the game on an RBI-single to third from Robbie Merced that scored Tommaso Giarola from third.
The Valor would go back out in front in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly, taking a 2-1 lead. Central's bats were unable to answer in the final innings.
Altogether, Evangel's pitching staff held CMU to just one earned run on two hits.
Sebastian Escobar was handed just his second loss of the year, pitching 5.1 innings and giving up two earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. Justin Guzman also saw action on the bump, retiring both batters faced.
Game 2: CMU 11 - Evangel 6
Game two was a high scoring affair that saw 10 total runs plated through the first inning and a half of play. Leading 6-4, the Eagles scored runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to earn the five run victory.
Tanner Sears led the Eagle bats, batting two-for-four with a pair of home runs including a grand slam in the second inning to put Central out in front.
Merced also homered in the fourth inning, while Bobby Nichols batted three-of-five with a double. Both Alan West and Joseph Weatherford picked up two hits, with West recording an RBI triple in the first inning.
Marcus Pritchard earned his fifth win of the year on the bump, pitching 6.2 innings and giving up six earned runs on nine hits with a pair of walks.
Game 3: CMU 10 - Evangel 3
The first runs of game three weren't scored until the top of the fourth inning. Central jumped on the board first with three runs. The Valor responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, before CMU answered with a run in the sixth. Leading 4-2, the Eagles broke the game open with six runs in the seventh.
Central finished the day scoring 10 runs on 10 hits including three walks. Giarola led the way with three hits in four at-bats including a double. Merced batted two-for-four, while Weatherford, Joey Fitzgerald Jr., and Logan Doody all drove in two runs each.
West, the reigning NAIA National Pitcher of the Week, earned his seventh win of the year on the bump, tossing 5.1 innings and giving up just two earned runs on eight hits and a walk. He also struck out 10 batters.
Alfred Ulloa came in relief for the final 1.2 innings of work, retiring six-of-eight batters including two strikeouts.
Game 4: CMU 19 - Evangel 0
Central closed the series with a bang, scoring 19 runs on 21 hits in a 19-0 win. Fourteen of CMU's runs came in the first three innings alone. Weatherford led the way with four hits in five at-bats, including two doubles. He would finish the day driving in four runners while crossing the plate twice himself.
West picked up four hits, including a single, two doubles, and a triple. He would fall just a home run short of the cycle, and matched Weatherford with four RBI.
Dominic VanDoorne homered to left field in the second inning to drive in two runners.
Clayton Burke pitched a complete game, giving up no runs on just four hits and no walks. He struck out nine batters en-route to his fifth win of the year.
Up Next:
The Eagles continue road action with a four-game series against rival Missouri Valley College beginning Saturday, April 15 at 1:00 p.m. in Marshall, Mo.
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