Sterlington, La. - No. 25 Central Methodist Baseball earned a split on the final day of the Cajun Collision, rallying late for a 6–5 win over Science and Arts before dropping a hard-fought 5–3 decision to Louisiana Christian Sunday.

Game 1: No. 25 Central Methodist 6, Science and Arts 5:

Central used patience, speed, and a dramatic seventh-inning comeback to edge Science and Arts, 6–5, improving to 2–1 on the young season.

The Drovers struck first in the fourth inning when Corey Morro singled home Connor Martin for a 1–0 lead. CMU answered in the bottom half as Zeb Wede delivered an RBI single to tie the game.

CMU took advantage of miscues in the fifth inning, scoring twice without a hit. Joshua Smith crossed the plate on a balk, and Justin Smith scored on a passed ball to give the Eagles a 3–1 advantage.

USAO responded with power in the sixth, as Henry Garcia launched a solo home run and Alfonso Camacho followed with a two-run shot to swing the lead back to the Drovers, 4–3. Morro added insurance with a solo homer in the seventh, extending the Science and Arts lead to 5–3.

However, in the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles tied the game when Ryan Malzahn drove in two runs on a pop-up that fell in shallow right field. Moments later, Simon "JJ" Yoakum IV scored the winning run on a passed ball, completing the walk-off comeback.

Riley Schnieders earned the win on the mound, allowing one run over 1.1 innings of relief. CMU managed just two hits in the game but drew five walks and capitalized on opportunities late.

Game 2: Louisiana Christian 5 - No. 25 Central Methodist 3:

In the finale, Central Methodist battled but could not overcome a late rally by Louisiana Christian, falling 5–3.

LCU opened the scoring in the first inning with a solo home run from Braden McLin. The Eagles answered quickly, tying the game on an RBI single by Jordan Vazquez before taking a 2–1 lead later in the inning on a passed ball.

Yoakum continued his strong day at the plate in the third, blasting a solo home run to extend CMU's lead to 3–1.

The Wildcats clawed back in the fourth inning, tying the game with RBI hits from Caleb Brown and Drake Aldridge. The score remained deadlocked until the seventh, when Louisiana Christian pushed across two runs—one on a bases-loaded walk and another on an RBI single by Matthew Cody—to seal the win.

Kade Linn went the distance for Louisiana Christian, striking out 12 while allowing three runs. Jordan Vazquez led Central offensively with two hits and an RBI, while Yoakum scored twice and homered.

Up Next:

Central comes home to host No. 23 Columbia College for a single nine-inning game Thursday, Feb. 12 at 1:00 p.m. at Estes Field. 

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