Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
EDMOND (April 26) – Dilon Argo brought Central Oklahoma within a run with a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Central Missouri relief ace Zach Davis got a game-ending strikeout as the Mules won the nightcap, 8-7, after taking a 5-2 victory in the first game on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Wendell Simmons Field.
The Bronchos struggled to sustain offense in both games. UCO had 11 hits in the opener, but seven of them came after two outs. The Bronchos only had the leadoff man reach five times all day and Phillip Wilson twice led off an inning with a double and failed to score both times.
"Central Missouri is the class of this league and they showed why today," head coach Dax Leone said. "Our guys played hard, but didnt execute when it counted. Championship baseball usually comes down to one or two moments and they earned them, no excuses."
UCM clinched the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular season title with the sweep, improving to 32-14 overall and 31-8 in league play. UCO, still battling to finish second in the final standings, fell to 34-13 overall and 26-13 in the league.
The Mules jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning of the opener on a three-run double by Jake Alexander and those proved to be the winning runs.
The Bronchos got on the board in the bottom of the inning with three straight singles with two outs that scored Wacey Henderson as Ryan Stoup checked his swing and squirted one through the infield.
Jake O'Brien made it a one-run game with an RBI double off the left field wall that scored Matt Johnson from first.
The Mules got both runs back and extended the lead back to three in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer after an error extended the inning.
In game two the Mules continued to capitalize on the UCO's mistakes, scoring an unearned run in the top of the first and plating two more in the third on four hits.
Meanwhile, the Bronchos were unable to take advantage of their opportunities. Jake Ingram scored on an error in the second, but Phillip Wilson led off the third with a double and the Bronchos were unable to bring him home, squandering one of the few times they had the leadoff man on base.
The Mules put the Bronchos in a big hole when Tony Sandifer hit a two-run single with two outs in the fourth inning to put the Mules up 5-1.
UCO's offense showed some life in the fourth when Brad Lamberti hit a two-run homer and Dylan Raper followed with a solo shot to make it 5-4, but the Mules answered right back with three of their own in the top of the fifth to go up 8-4.
The Bronchos then mounted their rally in the seventh when the first two hitters were hit by the pitch and with two outs Argo hit his seventh homer of the season to make it a one-run game. Davis then came on to finish it off and save the game for the Mules as he recorded the save in both games.
UCO will look to salvage a split in the final game of the series and wrap up the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.
