Fayette, Mo. - No. 25-ranked Central Methodist Baseball dropped a pair of contests to No. 22 Bellevue University Saturday at Estes Field, falling 15-5 in seven innings before coming up just short in an 11-9 battle in the nightcap.
With the losses, the Eagles move to 5-8 on the season, while the Bruins improve to 12-2 overall.
Game 1: No. 22 Bellevue 15 - No. 25 CMU 5
Bellevue wasted no time setting the tone in game three of the series, plating five runs in the top of the first inning and adding two more in the second to build an early 7-0 advantage.
The Bruins collected 19 hits in the contest, including three home runs.
Offensively, the Eagles were paced by Ryan Malzahn, who accounted for all five CMU runs. The senior slugger launched a two-run homer in the sixth inning to put the Eagles on the board before belting a three-run shot in the seventh. Malzahn finished three-for-three with five RBI.
Justin Smith added a pair of hits, while Jordan Vazquez recorded a hit and scored once.
Game 2: No. 22 Bellevue 11 - No. 25 CMU 9
The Eagles responded with energy in the final game of the weekend, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit with a six-run surge across the second and third innings.
Gavin Whitehurst delivered a two-run double in the second to tie the game before Malzahn followed with an RBI single to give CMU a 3-2 lead. In the third, Landon McKillip's sacrifice brought home two runs, and Vazquez added an RBI single to stretch the lead to 6-2.
Bellevue chipped away and tied the contest at 7-7 in the seventh on a two-run homer. The Bruins then capitalized on wild pitches and timely hitting in the eighth, highlighted by a three-run double, to reclaim the lead at 11-7.
Central mounted one final push in the bottom of the eighth. Vazquez doubled home a run, and Whitehurst added an RBI groundout to pull the Eagles within two, but the Bruins' bullpen shut the door in the ninth.
Whitehurst finished two-for-fourth with three RBI, while Vazquez collected two hits and two RBI. McKillip scored three times in the contest, and Dawson Foster added a pair of hits.
Up Next:
Central will next take on William Penn University for a doubleheader beginning Saturday, March 7 at 12:00 p.m. at Estes Field.
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