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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Ryan Lemoine
3
Central Missouri UCM 20-5, 11-3 MIAA
4
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 20-8, 12-2 MIAA
Central Missouri UCM
20-5, 11-3 MIAA
3
Final
4
Central Oklahoma UCO
20-8, 12-2 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Central Missouri UCM 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 6 3
Central Oklahoma UCO 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 X 4 8 0

W: Lemoine, Ryan (6-1) L: Seiz,Coby (1-1) S: Rutland, Josh (3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos Top No. 3 Central Missouri

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team upset third-ranked Central Missouri 4-3 Friday afternoon in the first of three Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association games at Wendell Simmons Field.
 
The Bronchos improved to 20-8 on the season and move into first place in the league standings at 12-2. Central Missouri is now 20-5 and 11-3 in MIAA play.
 
"I'm really happy with the way we played today," UCO head baseball coach John Martin said. "We got a really good start from Ryan Lemoine today and that was big. We did a lot of good things today. But we have to keep it up. It's just one win. It's a big one, but we have to play this team two more times this weekend still."
 
Lemoine tossed a solid 7 1/3 innings in his eighth start of the season. He improved to 6-1 with the win. The senior righty struck out eight on the day and didn't issue a single walk.
 
Ben Wusterbarth got the Bronchos out of the eighth in relief of Lemoine. And Josh Rutland earned his third save of the season with a 1-2-3 top of the ninth.
 
The win is the second in a row for the Bronchos over Central Missouri, which moved up to No. 3 in the country in this week's National College Baseball Writers Association Top 25. UCO also won 4-3 in last year's MIAA postseason tournament.
 
Central Missouri struck first Friday, and wasted no time doing it. Lemoine hit the first batter of the game, on the game's first pitch. Mason Janvrin scored after stealing second, moving to third on a sacrifice-fly, and finally crossing home plate on another sac-fly to make it 1-0, Central Missouri.
 
The Bronchos were quick to respond though. Paul Kropf singled with one out in the bottom of the first and moved up to second base when Dayne Sommer grounded out for the second out of the inning on the next UCO at bat.
 
Then Trae Smith struck out, but the catcher dropped the ball. Smith hustled down the line to first and UCM's Payne McCutcheon missed on the throw. Smith was safe at first and Kropf was dashing for home. Central Missouri's first baseman, Collin Nevil, picked up the ball and fired it home in time to get Kropf, but McCutcheon couldn't handle the throw and Kropf scored to make it 1-1.
 
UCO went up 3-1 in the bottom of the third when Smith hit a monster of a home run to right-center. His second homer of the season also scored Sommer, who reached on UCM's third error of the day on the previous at bat.
 
Central Missouri then took its turn tying the game, scoring two in the top of the sixth. Donovan Ditto singled, as did Janvrin, and both scored when Erik Webb singled up the middle.
 
Lemoine came back for the seventh and got the first two outs on just two pitches. He retired the side in order after a three-pitch strikeout.
 
Kropf, inspired by the effort, saw a 3-1 pitch and smashed a 400-plus foot home run through the towering pine trees past the center field wall to make it 4-3 Bronchos.
 
Lemoine got one more out in the eighth before his relievers finished off the job and gave the Bronchos the upset win.
 
Kropf finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI. Taylor Avila also had two hits on the day. The Bronchos scattered eight off four Central Missouri pitchers.
 
The teams are playing two more this weekend. UCO hosts Central Missouri Saturday at 3 p.m. for Game 2 in the series.
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