Sterlington, La. — The No. 25 Central Methodist baseball program split a pair of games Friday at the Cajun Collision, dropping a 10–3 decision to Texas A&M Texarkana before bouncing back with a statement 4–3 victory over No. 1 LSU Shreveport in Sterlington, Louisiana.
Game 1: Texas A&M Texarkana 10, No. 25 Central Methodist 3:
The Eagles struck first in the second inning as Stone Vacek drove in Dariel Rios with an RBI single to right field. Central Methodist added solo home runs from Sean Mitchell in the fourth and Ryan Malzahn in the fifth to extend the lead to 3–0.
Starter Gavin Whitehurst was effective through five innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out five. Texas A&M Texarkana broke through in the fifth, using an error to spark a three-run inning that tied the game.
The Warriors seized control in the sixth, sending 11 batters to the plate. CJ Richard delivered the biggest blow with a three-run homer, while Austin Kerns and Colton Wombles each added two-run singles as TAMUT scored seven runs in the frame.
Sean Mitchell finished two-for-three with a home run, while Malzahn also homered for Central Methodist.
Game 2: Central Methodist 4, No. 1 LSU Shreveport 3:
Central Methodist rebounded in impressive fashion in the nightcap, edging top-ranked LSU Shreveport 4–3 behind a complete-game performance from Westin Walls.
The win also saw the Eagles' snap the defending national champions 65 game winning-streak. The Pilots previous loss came in May, 2024.
Central manufactured two runs in the third inning, getting an RBI sacrifice fly from Zeb Wede and an RBI single from Jordan Vazquez to take a 2–0 lead.
LSU Shreveport responded with a run of its own in the bottom half, but Simon "JJ" Yoakum IV answered in the fourth with a solo home run to make it 3–1.
The Pilots pulled even in the sixth when Makana Olaso launched a two-run homer, tying the game at 3–3. Central responded immediately in the seventh, capitalizing on a wild pitch to bring home Joshua Smith for the eventual game-winning run.
Walls went the distance, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out eight and earning his first win of the season. The Eagles played error-free baseball behind him in the field.
Offensively, Yoakum, Vazquez, and Wede each drove in a run, while Whitehurst added two hits and swiped two bases. Central Methodist collected seven hits and stole four bases in the victory.
Up Next:
Central will close the Collision with games against Science and Arts of Oklahoma (11:00 a.m.) and Louisiana Christian (2:30 p.m.) on Saturday, Feb. 7.
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