Box Score

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WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Northeastern State baseball team upset No. 12 Central Missouri 6-5 in 11 innings in the first round of the 2014 MIAA Championship Friday evening at Crane Stadium.
 
The RiverHawks (25-26), seeded No. 8 in the tournament and needing three wins in the final weekend of the regular season just to qualify for postseason play, took down a Mules squad (35-15) that was 18-3 at home this season and recently wrapped up the regular-season title.
 
NSU and UCM opened a best-of-3 series, and the winner will advance to the MIAA semifinals in Springfield, Mo., May 8-10. The two teams will compete in a series-ending doubleheader (if necessary) beginning at 2 p.m. May 3. Central Missouri needs to sweep the RiverHawks to advance, while Northeastern State just needs to win one game.
 
NSU found itself in the same predicament last season, when the sixth-seeded RiverHawks defeated No. 3 seed Missouri Southern State in the first game but fell twice to MSSU in a doubleheader the following day.
 
Also, the Mules have not lost a series at home since March 20-22, 2009.
 
The home side capitalized early, plating three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-0 lead. Northeastern State was unable to get on the board until the sixth inning, but the visitors used a four-run frame to take a 4-3 advantage.
 
Senior Cody Robinson led off the inning with a double, and fellow senior David Weber hit his first home run of the season to cut the UCM lead to 3-2. Senior Kyle Singleton then stepped up and registered back-to-back homers to tie the game, and junior Tyler Wilkins later came home on a single by junior Dante Broome.
 
Central Missouri manufactured a game-tying run in the home half of the sixth, and the two squads played out the rest of regulation at a 4-4 draw.
 
After both teams went scoreless in the first extra frame, NSU plated two unearned runs from Broome and Wilkins to take a 6-4 lead in the top of the 11th. The Mules received a solo home run from Trevor Jones in the bottom of the inning, but the visitors were able to hold on for the victory.
 
NSU was outhit 14-9, and the only two members of the team with multiple hits were Weber and Broome.
 
True freshman Zack Hammock (5-0) threw 4.0 innings of relief and earned the victory on the mound. He allowed one run on five hits. Junior starter Kyle Shambaugh lasted 5.2 innings, and he conceded four runs (one earned) on seven hits. Senior Addison Williams and junior Seth Hudson were also utilized out of the pen, but true freshman Bobby Sehgal was called upon to record the final two outs after Hudson struggled. Sehgal earned his second save of the season.
 
Brad Wilson powered the Mule offense with a 3-for-6 effort at the plate. Jones, Jake Alexander, Kevin Gratza, and Seth Wheeler all had two hits for the home team. Jones scored twice and drove home two.
 
Central Missouri used just two pitchers in the contest. Closer Zach Davis (3-2) suffered the loss after allowing two unearned runs on two hits in 3.2 frames. Starter Kyle Gehrs took a no-decision after conceding four runs (three earned) on seven hits across 7.1 frames. He struck out 11 and walked four.
 
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