CMU VS. GRAND VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
FAYETTE, Mo. – Receiving its first home loss of the season against 17 victories in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Grand View University, 5-4, the No. 5-ranked Central Methodist baseball team wasted little time in gaining control of Game 2 with back-to-back home runs by Jared Johnson (JR/DeKalb, Ill.) and Dustyn Macaluso (SR/Sacramento, Calif.) in the first inning, as the Eagles cruised to a 13-5 victory here at Estes Field Wednesday evening.
The split allowed the Eagles (33-11) to improve to 17-7 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action and sustain a first-place tie with Benedictine College (28-17) in the Southern Division standings. Both teams own identical conference records and stand one game ahead of MidAmerica Nazarene University (27-13, 17-9 Heart) in the league.
Grand View outhit Central Methodist 8-7, in Game 1, but the Eagles came back strong in the second contest, banging out 15 hits, while holding the Vikings to seven. Quinn Conley (SR/Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Andrew Thomas (JR/Parker, Colo.) posted a pair of hits in the opening game, then Zach Beckner (SR/Versailles, Kent.) and Fernando Villegas (JR/Hutchinson, Minn.) finished the second game with three hits apiece.
GAME 1 RECAP
Conley and Thomas both went 2-for-3 in the opener to lead CMU, with Conley driving in a run and scoring another. Beckner finished 1-for-3, but smashed a three-run home run – his 10th of the season – in the bottom of the first to drive in Johnson and Conley and give the Eagles the early lead.
Johnson hit a double and scored a pair of runs for Central Methodist, while DeAndre Smith (JR/Fresno, Calif.) singled and walked.
Tyler Smith and Josh Luna each posted 2-for-4 outings at the plate to lead the Vikings.
After CMU took the 3-0 lead in the first inning, Grand View came back with a pair of runs in the second and another in the fourth to tie the score at 3-3. The Vikings took a 5-3 lead in the top of the fifth, but the Eagles pulled to within 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh when Johnson scored on a Conley single to leftfield. But Central Methodist left two runners stranded when the third out was called.
Cody Matthews (6-2) was the winning pitcher for Grand View. He pitched 6.2 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, with four strikeouts and two walks. Austin Marchant recorded his 10th save of the season in relief.
Josh Thomas (SR/Parker, Colo.) (1-1) went the distance for the Eagles, but absorbed the defeat on the hill. In seven innings he gave up five runs (3 earned) on eight hits, with six strikeouts and a walk.
GAME 2 RECAP
Johnson and Macaluso set the tempo for Central Methodist in the second game, starting off the contest with back-to-back home runs over the leftfield wall. It was Johnson's sixth round-tripper of the season and Macaluso's 10th.
Beckner and Villegas both went 3-for-4 for CMU. Beckner doubled twice, drove in a run and scored three times, while Villegas pushed in three runs. Johnson went 2-for-4, with two runs scored and an RBI in addition to his home run. Macaluso also went 2-for-4, with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored. Thomas finished the game 2-for-4, driving in a run and scoring another.
Damon Nuss and Ryan Curtis both had 2-for-3 games for Grand View. Nuss doubled and scored twice, while Curtis walked, scored a pair of runs and drove in another.
Kyle Fulton (JR/Monroe City, Mo.) (4-0) was one of four CMU pitchers who worked in the game and he recorded the win in 4.1 innings of work. He gave up four runs (2 earned) on six hits, with nine strikeouts and one walk. Tyler Hull (SO/New Franklin, Mo.), Chris Danielson (SR/Saugus, Calif.) and Dariel Checo (SO/New York, NY) all split time on the hill to help with the win.
Nick Bentley was the losing pitcher for the Vikings. In 0.1 inning he gave up four runs on four hits.
WHAT'S UP NEXT FOR THE EAGLES?
Central Methodist will go back on the road this weekend, traveling to Baldwin City, Kan., to take on Baker University on Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
CMU Baseball Contact: John Krueger
Phone: 936-332-9332 | jkrueger@centralmethodist.edu
CMU Athletics: Twitter | Facebook
CMU Baseball: Twitter
Website: www.CMUEagles.com
