Fulton, Mo. – Central Methodist split the first two games of a four game conference series against William Woods Saturday afternoon, falling in the opener before bouncing back to take game two.
The Eagles now stand at 22-15 and 11-7 in the Heart of America. William Woods moves to 19-16 and 10-8 in conference action.
Game 1: William Woods 10 – Central Methodist 8
William Woods held off a late rally to claim a 10-8 victory in game one over CMU. The Owls used a four-run second inning to seize early momentum, capitalizing on timely hitting and a pair of Eagle miscues to build a lead they would not relinquish.
The Owls added single runs in the third and two more in the fourth before tacking on three in the fifth to extend the advantage to 10-1. Central Methodist responded late, plating four runs in the sixth highlighted by a two-run home run from Joshua Smith and a two-RBI single off the bat of Dariel Rios.
The Eagles continued to chip away in the seventh, scoring three more runs and bringing the tying run to the plate, but William Woods closer Keith Piepmeier secured the final out to preserve the win.
Gavin Whitehurst led Central Methodist with two hits, while Rios and Smith each drove in two runs. Despite drawing nine walks, the Eagles were unable to overcome an early deficit.
Game 2: Central Methodist 3 – William Woods 2
The Owls struck first with an unearned run in the opening inning and added another in the fifth to take a 2-0 lead. Central broke through in the sixth, beginning with a sacrifice fly from Rios to cut the deficit in half. Later in the inning, Karlo Aguirre delivered the decisive blow with a two-run double to left field, giving the Eagles their first lead of the day.
Jeremy Yanow turned in a strong performance on the mound, allowing just two runs—one earned—over six innings while striking out eight. Nicholas Neighbours closed the door in the seventh to earn the save.
Up Next:
CMU and William Woods will conclude the series with a doubleheader on Monday, April 13. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at Estes Field in Fayette, Missouri.
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