Fayette, Mo. - Despite battling a three-hour lightning delay, the No. 2 Central Methodist Baseball team walked off their first game of the Opening Round of the Fayette Bracket against No. 3 Tabor College in 10 innings. 

The Eagles knocked off Tabor by a final score of 7-6 Monday afternoon. 

Tabor jumped out in front with four runs in the top of the second inning. The game was then paused for more than three hours with lightning delays throughout the afternoon. 

Central came out of the rain delay to plate a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first inning, courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Carlos Negron, and a RBI double from Jeremy Conforti to left field. 

An RBI double from Bobby Nichols in the fourth plated a run and trimmed the deficit to just one midway through the game. Central would tie the game and take its first lead on RBI singles from Conforti and Joseph Weatherford. 

The Eagles held their lead for the next inning, before Tabor capitilized on a throwing error to tie the game at five in the seventh. Nichols would answer for CMU with a single in the infield, giving Central a 6-5 lead. 

But a solo homerun from Tabor in the eighth sent the game into extra innings. The game remained scoreless in the ninth, until Central loaded the bases in the bottom half of the 10th. 

On the first pitch of his at-bat, Zeb Wede was hit by a pitch to plate Valentin Cerna Jr. for the game-winning run. 

Junior pitcher Clayton Burke overcame a slow start to pitch four scoreless innings , giving Central's offense time to adjust at the plate. He would finish the game giving up three earned runs with seven strikeouts. 

Larry Riddle Jr. came in relief and tossed two and two thirds innings, before Marcus Pritchard tossed the final inning. Pritchard would ultimately earn the win, his sixth of the year. 

Central will next face No. 1 seeded Hope International Tuesday, May 14 at 5:30 p.m. The winner will advance to the Opening Round Championship game Wednesday. 

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