Fayette, Mo. - The Central Methodist Baseball team saw its season come to an end in the Opening Round of the Fayette Bracket Wednesday night.
The Eagles began day two of the double elimination tournament with a 5-3 victory over Madonna (Mich.) to stay alive before eventually falling to Kansas Wesleyan in the second game, 16-7.
In the first game, Central found themselves trailing 2-0 before a double from Jeremy Conforti to score Bobby Nichols cut the lead in the half in the bottom of the first.
The score would remain the same until CMU plated two runs in the sixth on singles from Tommaso Giarola and Joseph Weatherford. Madonna tied the game in the top of the eighth, 3-3, before a two-run home run from Khalil Thrasher sealed the victory for the Eagles.
Clayton Burke got the start on the bump, tossing 7.1 complete innings and giving up just three earned runs on six hits and five walks. He also picked up six strikeouts.
Larry Riddle Jr. came in relief and got the win, tossing the final 1.2 innings and preserving the victory for Central.
The Eagles would then face No. 2 seeded Kansas Wesleyan in the nightcap in another elimination game. CMU jumped out to a 2-0 led in the bottom of the first inning before Kansas Wesleyan plated three runs in the third and five in the fourth.
Trailing 8-2, Central trimmed the deficit to two with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. The inning was highlighted by a three-run home run to left field by Tanner Sears.
However, KWU's offense never slowed down, as they plated a run in the fifth, four in the seventh, and three in the ninth to eliminate Central and advance to the Opening Round Championship series.
Altogether, Central plated seven of its runs on 11 hits. Alan West led CMU with three hits in four at-bats and an RBI in his final game as an Eagle. Marcus Pritchard got the start on the bump, throwing three complete innings.
Alfred Ulloa, Alexander Billo, Larry Riddle Jr., Justin Guzman, and Ethan Grace also saw game action.
Central concludes its season with a 36-19 overall record and its seventh straight appearance in the NAIA National Tournament.
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