| 5/13/2012 12:00:00 AM
Championship
Website | Box
Score
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Bret Schwartz went
2-for-5 at the plate with three RBIs and a run scored as No. 1 seed
Central Missouri won the MIAA Centennial Baseball Championship
title with a 7-1 victory over No. 6 seed Fort Hays State Sunday
afternoon at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
With its third consecutive MIAA tournament championship, Central
Missouri (44-7) earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA
Tournament. The NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament selection show
will air tonight at 9 p.m. CT on NCAA.com. Regional sites will be
announced as well. Fort Hays State concludes its season with a
29-24 overall record.
After two and a half innings of scoreless baseball to start the
game, Central Missouri broke through in the bottom of the third
inning with an RBI single through the right side by Schwartz that
scored Chase Graskewicz and gave the Mules an early 1-0
advantage.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Schwartz recorded his second
RBI single of the game, this time to left field, to send Jon Cotter
home and give the Mules a two-run lead. Two batters later, John
Oropeza singled to right center to score Schwartz, and Brad Wilson
followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Jordan Coons
home and extend the Central Missouri lead to 4-0 after five.
Fort Hays State got on the board in the top of the seventh
inning when Mace Krol hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring
Sheldon Howell to make the score 4-1 in favor of UCM.
Central Missouri answered in the bottom of the seventh with an
RBI single to center field by Albert Selanders, plating Wilson to
extend the Mules' lead back to four at 5-1.
Schwartz grounded out to shortstop in the bottom of the eighth,
but earned his third RBI of the afternoon as Cotter scored his
second run of the game for UCM. Coons followed with an RBI double
to left center, bringing home Gabe Thibodeau to extend the Mules'
lead to the final 7-1 margin.
Kyle Jackson (7-1) pitched 6.0 innings for Central Missouri,
earning the win after scattering eight hits and giving up only one
run. Aaron Baker recorded his second save of the season for the
Mules, going 3.0 innings while allowing no runs on four hits.
Howell was 2-for-2 at the plate for Fort Hays State, scoring the
lone run of the game for the Tigers.