ASHLAND, Mo. – The No. 20-ranked Central Methodist University baseball program opened conference play with a bang on Saturday afternoon. The team swept Graceland with a combined 31-10 score through two games.
GAME ONE:
Central broke the ice in the second inning when a single to right by Mason Schwellenbach (SR/Saginaw, Mich.) plated one. A sacrifice bunt from Kenny Otero (SR/Rio Grande, PR) plated one in the third frame and a long ball from Sergio Macias (SR/Laredo, Tex.) in the fourth inning added another.
The Eagles rattled off six more runs through the final two innings, highlighted by Schwellenbach's three-run homerun over the left-center and a long ball from Adrian Martinez (JR/Toa Alta, Puerto Rico).
Nick Merkel (JR/Spokane, Wash.) earned the win on the bump after striking out 11 batters and surrendering just one hit through six innings. Felix Pena (JR/Bronx, N.Y.) closed the contest in the final frame, striking out one batter and allowing one hit.
GAME TWO:
Central's offense exploded in the nightcap after scoring 22 runs on 24 hits. The Eagles opened the game with 10 runs through the first two innings, highlighted by a pair of three-run homeruns from Logan Haring (SR/DeKalb, Ill.) and Macias.
Graceland cut the lead in half with a strong five-run showing in the bottom of the second, but CMU responded with another string of eight runs through the next two frames. Devon Garcia (SR/Bowling Green, Ohio) got the rally started with a shot over the left-field wall on a blank count. Max McCay (SR/Carlisle, Iowa), Schwellenbach, Haring, and Martinez each recorded RBIs during the seven-run showing in the fourth inning.
The Yellowjackets were able to respond with a two-run homerun in the bottom of the fourth, but a sacrifice fly from Raul Cosme (JR/Toa Alta, PR) in the sixth kept the game out of reach. Cosme also plated two additional runs in the final inning.
Manny Martinez (SR/Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) earned the win after tossing four innings. He struck out three batters and allowed two earned runs on one hit. Alex Moore (SR/Santee, Calif.), Nate Swenson (SO/Lewisburg, Kan.), and Cody Malan (SR/Springfield, Mo.) also made appearances on the rubber but did not factor into the final decision.
UP NEXT:
The Eagles return to action on Sunday, March 1st, at home against Peru State. The doubleheader is set to begin at 1 PM on Estes Field.
