Baseball | 5/15/2016 8:37:41 PM

St. Charles, Mo. – Central Missouri jumped out early and then held on for a 16-14 win over Missouri Western to claim the MIAA Tournament Championship.
 
Central Missouri struck in the top of the first inning behind the bat of Bennett Oliver who hit a home run down the right field line. Missouri Western would answer in the bottom half of the inning as Kody Matthews singled to drive in two.
 
The Mules struck again the top of the second as Matt Elliott started things off with a  two-run double down the right field line. Dylan Farrell then singled to drive in Elliott before Oliver grounded out to drive in Farrell.
 
The Griffons answered in the bottom of the second with four runs of their own highlighted by a three-run home run from David Glaude. Jeremy Alvarado scored Matthews on a single to left center to make it 7-6 after two innings.
 
UCM responded with six runs in the top of the third inning as Matt Elliott got it started by walking in to drive in a run. Dylan Farrell would then hit a bases clearing double before Jake Alexander singled to drive him in. Derek Cornell closed out the scoring in the inning with a single up the middle that drove in one.
 
The Mules would grabbed another run in the top of the fourth as Farrell popped up to right field to sacrifice home a run. In the bottom of the sixth MWSU cut the lead to six runs as Orencio Fisher scored on a double play and Alex Huering singled up the middle to drive in Nick Gawley.
 
UCM would get a run back in the top of the seventh as Bennett Oliver doubled down the right field line then scored on an error later in the inning. Oliver would then drive in a run in the top of the eighth with a single to right field drive home Matt Elliott.
 
The Griffons got two runs back in the bottom of the eighth as Alex Huering and Jeremy Alvarado added run scoring singles.
 
The Griffons would make it close in the bottom of the ninth as David Glaude started things off with a single to score Fisher. Matthews would then double down the line to drive in Gawley. Glaude would then come home on a wild pitch cutting the lead to just three runs. Alex Heuring would score a hustle single to drive in Matthews.
 
For the Mules Matt Elliott was three for four with four runs scored and three driven in while Dyaln Farrell went three for five with three runs scored and five driven in. Jake Alexander went five for six with two runs scored and Bennet Oliver was three for five with five runs driven in.
 
For the Griffons Gawley finished four for six with four runs scored while Glaude was four for five with three runs scored and four driven in. Fisher was three for five on the afternoon with three runs scored and Mathews went four for six with with three runs scored and three driven in.
 
On the mound Ross Juliana pitching 4.1 innings of relief allowing two unearned runs to pick up the victory.

UCM earns the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament while all other teams will await their fate when the bracket is released tonight at 9 p.m. CST at ncaa.com.