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Mules capture MIAA Tournament Championship

(Photo by Dave Kopp)

2008 MIAA Post-Season Tournament Champions

The No. 23 Central Missouri Mules started batting practice Sunday morning at around 8:00 a.m. and knew they had a vaunting task ahead of them. They had to finish the final two innings from a rain suspended Saturday night game, then win two more full games to claim their 13th MIAA Tournament title in the last 15 years.

After finishing the 11-4 suspended setback against Emporia State, the Mules rallied for a 4-2 win against Fort Hays State, and then came from behind again for the 4-3 title clincher against the Hornets on Sunday evening, finishing the day at around 6:00 p.m.

20 innings and 12 hours later, the Mules had earned the MIAA’s automatic bid to play in the NCAA Central Regional this Thursday.

The weekend started on Friday afternoon with the No. 2 seeded Mules against the third-seeded Missouri Western Griffons in the opener at Community America Ballpark. Central Missouri plated five runs in the first inning and added an insurance run in the fourth to hold on for a 6-4 win.

Seniors Balin Bergman and Clay Weatherford each had a couple RBI as Central Missouri pounded out 14 hits in the game. Mark Carey tossed 7.1 innings, allowing four runs and striking out 10 to grab the win. Chris Matlock came in for the ninth frame and struck out the side to earn the save.

Against top-seeded ESU on Saturday, the Mules shot themselves in the foot, making four errors and stranding a season-high 15 base runners. They only scored four runs on 14 hits while the Hornets tallied 11 scores on 14 hits. The game was suspended in the bottom of the eighth thanks to rain and had to be resumed the next morning with ESU up by the final margin.

Central Missouri was then forced to play Fort Hays State in an elimination game at 11:00 a.m. The Mules fell behind early by a 2-0 margin before clawing back in the final three frames. Getting lost in the shuffle was a great pitching performance by sophomore Danny Potje, tossing 6.1 innings and allowing one earned run and striking out seven.

The Mules offense struggled to convert again, stranding 11 runners before finally getting on the board with a couple runs in the seventh inning. Brian McBryde got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded before Blaine Rutledge hit a sacrifice fly to left to tie the game. Luis Perez hit an RBI single to center in the eighth to give UCM the lead, and then the Mules got an insurance run in the ninth on a double by Iain Dykins and a single by Bergman to score him.

Matlock tossed the final 2.2 innings without allowing a hit to earn the win.

30 minutes later, the Mules were in the title game against the Hornets. After the opening frame Emporia State led 2-1 but both pitchers settled down, putting up three scoreless innings. Central Missouri tied it in the fifth on a Weatherford home run (only his third of the season) before the Mules got the lead in the sixth on a sac fly by Mike Hallam. UCM had the bases loaded with one out, but struck out two times to end the threat. Rutledge gave the Mules some wiggle room with a solo homer in the seventh before the Mules bullpen took over.

ESU scored in the bottom of the seventh but Matlock came in to take over from there for the final 2.1 innings. He allowed only two hits and didn’t allow a run to close the game out in the ninth.