FAYETTE, Mo. — The Central Methodist Baseball program split a Monday afternoon doubleheader with MidAmerica Nazarene at Estes Field, dropping a tightly contested opener before responding with a 6-3 victory in game two to open the four-game conference series.
The Eagles move to 21-12 overall and 10-4 in conference play following the split, while the Pioneers sit at 13-22 and 5-9 in the Heart.
Game 1: MidAmerica Nazarene 7 - Central Methodist 6
Central came out swinging in the opener, plating five runs in the first inning behind a pair of home runs. Jordan Vazquez and Gavin Whitehurst delivered back-to-back solo shots to start the scoring, while Zeb Wede added a two-run double later in the frame. Landon McKillip capped the inning with an RBI single to give the Eagles a 5-0 advantage.
MNU chipped away in the second on a solo home run before erupting for five runs in the third inning to take a 6-5 lead. The Pioneers used timely extra-base hits and run-scoring singles to flip the momentum in their favor.
Wede tied the game in the bottom of the third with a solo home run—his third RBI of the contest. However, the Eagles were held scoreless the rest of the way.
The Pioneers pushed across the go-ahead run in the seventh on an RBI single, handing Central Methodist the 7-6 setback.
Wede led the Eagles offensively, going two-for-two with three RBI and two runs scored. Vazquez and Whitehurst each homered, while McKillip added an RBI.
On the mound, Westin Walls struck out eight over six innings, allowing six runs. Jeremy Yanow came in relief in the final inning, striking out two.
Game 2: Central Methodist 6 - MidAmerica Nazarene 3
The Eagles bounced back in game two, using a pair of big innings to secure the split.
After falling behind 3-0 through four innings, Central answered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Wede delivered an RBI single before the Eagles capitalized on a Pioneer error to tie the game at 3-3.
CMU took control in the fifth inning as Ryan Malzahn launched a go-ahead solo home run, followed by a two-run blast from Wede to extend the lead to 6-3.
The bullpen took over from there. Vince Ray earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, and Nicholas Neighbours shut the door to earn the save.
Wede continued his standout day, finishing two-for-three with three RBI and two runs scored. Malzahn added two runs and a homer, while Dariel Rios crossed the plate twice.
Central Methodist managed just five hits but drew six walks and took advantage of Pioneer miscues to generate offense.
Up Next:
The Eagles and Pioneers will conclude the four-game series Tuesday at Estes Field with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.
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