Fayette, Mo. - The No. 21 Central Methodist Baseball program hosted No. 19 Ottawa University in a Top 25 showdown Thursday afternoon at Estes Field. 

Central dropped game one by a score of 7-5, followed by a 6-4 loss in game two. 

The Eagles now stand at 20-12 overall, while Ottawa improves to 31-7. 

Game 1: No. 19 Ottawa 7 - No. 21 CMU 5

The Eagles found themselves trailing by two at the end of the first inning. Ottawa added three more runs in the third to take a 5-0 lead over Central. 

After giving up an additional run in the top half of the fourth, CMU responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame. 

Valentin Cerna Jr. brought both of Central's runs home with a two-RBI single to right field in the inning. Central continued to chip away at the Braves' lead with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. 

A David Soriano double to right plated both Gavin Whitehurst and Darius Freeman. In the following at-bat, Dominick Proctor singled to left to bring home Whitehurst. 

OU added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to extend their lead to two. Central's bats were retired in order in the final half inning, as Ottawa held on for a two-run win in game one. 

Game 2: No. 19 Ottawa 6 - No. 21 CMU 4

All 10 runs of game two came in the first inning of play. Ottawa jumped on Central's pitching in the top half of the frame, scoring six runs on five hits.

The Eagles battled back with four runs, highlighted by a pair of two-run home runs from Tanner Sears and Carlos Negron. 

Despite getting runners on base, Central was unable to manufacture any more runs, leaving nine total runners on base and leading to Ottawa's 6-4 win. 

Ryan Malzahn, Sears, and Kyle Williams all picked up two hits on the day. 

Up Next:

Central returns to Heart action for a four-game series against Missouri Valley College beginning Saturday, April 12 at Estes Field. First pitch of game one is set for 1:00 p.m. 

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