Ozark, Mo. – No. 7 seeded CMU Baseball used timely hitting and a strong pitching performance to secure a 6-5 victory over No. 2 seed Mount Mercy in the opening round of the Heart of America Conference Tournament Thursday in Ozark, Missouri.

The Eagles tallied 11 hits on the evening and built an early lead they would not relinquish, despite a late push from the Mustangs.

After Mount Mercy struck first with a run in the second inning, Central answered in the third. Jordan Vazquez delivered an RBI single to tie the game before Ryan Malzahn followed with another run-scoring hit to give the Eagles a 2-1 advantage.

CMU extended its lead in the fourth inning behind an RBI double from Dawson Foster and another clutch RBI single from Vazquez, pushing the score to 4-1. The Eagles added what proved to be the decisive runs in the fifth inning when Zeb Wede launched a two-run home run to left field, scoring Malzahn and stretching the lead to 6-2.

Mount Mercy mounted its comeback effort in the middle innings, scoring once in the fourth and three times in the fifth to cut the deficit to 6-5. However, Central's pitching staff shut the door the rest of the way.

Westin Walls (6-2) earned the win, tossing six innings while allowing five runs (four earned) and striking out seven. Nicholas Neighbours was dominant in relief, pitching the final three innings without allowing a run to secure his fifth save of the season.

Offensively, Gavin Whitehurst and Joshua Smith each recorded three hits to lead the Eagles at the plate. Vazquez finished with two hits and two RBI, while Wede drove in two runs with his fifth-inning homer.

Central's defense also came up with a key double play, helping preserve the narrow lead late in the contest.

The Eagles will continue tournament play against No. 3 seed William Woods on Friday, May 1st at 8:30 p.m.

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