Oskaloosa, Iowa - The No. 22 Central Methodist Baseball team won three-of-four games against William Penn University this past weekend in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Central now improves to 18-4 and 7-1 in the Heart of America, while the Statesmen fall to 9-10 and 1-3 in the conference action.
Game 1: William Penn 8 - No. 22 CMU 1
Leading 2-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, the Statesmen plated four runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to extend their lead to eight. Central's lone run of the game on a bases loaded walk from David Soriano. The Eagles were unable to plate anymore runs as the Statesmen would go on to earn an 8-1 win in the opener.
Central struggled to get the bats going, as they tallied just three hits. The Eagles' defense also committed three errors which resulted in five unearned runs for William Penn.
Game 2: No. 22 CMU 13 - William Penn 1
Central's bats responded in the second game of the Saturday doubleheader, as the Eagles plated 13 runs on 13 hits and six walks.
Valentin Cerna Jr. batted three-for-four with three runs scored and a stolen base. Tanner Sears picked up a pair of hits including a three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning.
Carlos Negron batted two-for-five with an RBI-double and a two-RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. Jeremy Conforti, Nick Tampa, Joseph Weatherford, and Soriano each drove in a runner.
Clayton Burke got the start on the bump, tossing seven complete innings and allowing just one earned run on six hits. He also struck out six batters in the win.
Game 3: No. 22 CMU 5 - William Penn 4
Central clipped WPU in extra innings in the third game of the series. Trailing 4-1 entering the top of the seventh, Diego Da Rin and Zeb Wede both got on base via a hit by pitch and a walk respectively.
Weatherford then stepped to the plate, where he hit a three-run home run to tie the game at 4-4. Central would score the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth courtesy of an RBI-single from Da Rin.
Larry Riddle Jr. came in relief for the Eagles, pitching two complete innings and striking out a pair of batters in the one-run win.
Game 4: No. 22 CMU 17 - William Penn 3
CMU's offense exploded for 17 runs on 24 hits, including three doubles and a pair of home runs in the series finale. Cerna Jr., Conforti, and Wede each finished the game with four hits, while Conforti drove in three runs.
Negron homered in the top of the fourth while Weatherford hit a two-run home run in the sixth.
Ray Ochoa earned his third win of the year, throwing five complete innings and allowing just one earned run on nine hits while striking out eight batters. Marcus Pritchard and Landon Winingham each pitched an inning in the later stages.
Up Next:
The Eagles return home to host Waldorf for a three-game series beginning Friday, March 15 at 1:00 p.m. at Estes Field.
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