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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
TJ Black
10
Winner Central Missouri UCM 38-14
2
Central Oklahoma UCO 36-18
Winner
Central Missouri UCM
38-14
10
Final
2
Central Oklahoma UCO
36-18
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Central Missouri UCM 0 2 0 1 2 4 0 0 1 10 13 1
Central Oklahoma UCO 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 2

W: Plymell,C (1-0) L: Croft, Colton (1-3) S: Jones,C (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Chris Brannick

UCO Downed In MIAA Championship

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The University of Central Oklahoma baseball team came up short in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Postseason Tournament Championship Sunday night, falling 10-2 to Central Missouri in the final game at Pittsburg State's Al Ortolani Field.
 
"I'm proud of our guys for fighting to get to this point," UCO head baseball coach John Martin said. "We obviously wanted to win this one and we're not happy about coming up short, but I am proud of the guys for fighting to get to the championship game."
 
UCO has made the MIAA Tournament championship in 2017 and 2019 and won the MIAA regular season title in 2018.
 
Central Oklahoma got on the scoreboard first Sunday. TJ Black led off with a single that tagged the Central Missouri pitcher in the back. Black moved to second on a wild pitch after Philip Scott flew out to left field. With Kyle Crowl at the plate, the senior shortstop hit a ground ball to third base. Black waited until UCM made its throw to first to get Crowl out before he took off for third, and when the Mules threw back to third to get Black, the ball skipped past the third baseman and allowed Black to score and make it 1-0, Bronchos.
 
Central Missouri responded with a pair of runs in the top of the second to go up 2-1 and another in the fourth to make it 3-1.
 
UCO answered that in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run from Taylor Avila that made it 3-2. But UCM again responded in the fifth with two more to go up 5-2.
 
Colton Croft got the call to start the MIAA Championship. The redshirt freshman went four innings and allowed five runs – one unearned – on eight hits. He struck out one batter in the start.
 
Ty Medina came out of the bullpen to replace Croft, but UCM tagged Medina for four more runs on two hits and a walk in one inning of work. Spencer Van Scoyoc replaced Medina in the sixth and the hit he allowed scored a pair of runs charged to Medina. UCM also scored a run on a bases loaded double play that gave the Bronchos the first two outs of the inning. UCO got out of the sixth trailing Central Missouri 9-2.
 
Van Scoyoc settled in and kept the Mules at bay over the next three innings. He finished with three innings pitched, struck out five, and didn't allow a run.
 
Brent Stephens came on in the ninth for Van Scoyoc. He hit a batter on the first pitch he threw and then allowed a single to left before walking a batter. A sacrifice fly for the next batter made it 10-2. A double play to follow got UCO out of the inning before the Bronchos' final attempt in the ninth.
 
Black led UCO in the championship game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and a run scored. Avila went 1-for-2 with the homer and a walk. Scott's ninth-inning single was the only other hit for Central Oklahoma Sunday night.
 
The Bronchos will now await their fate as the NCAA Tournament is next weekend. The announcement of the 56-team field will be Sunday night at 9 p.m. UCO has made back-to-back NCAA Central Regional appearances.
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