WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Central Missouri kicked the RiverHawks, 8-2, in extras with a six-run 11th inning Friday night and advanced to the MIAA Tournament Championship game.
The Mules turned the tables on Northeastern State, who was two outs away from winning the game in the ninth. A leadoff single and a stolen base manufactured the tying run to cross home plate.
Central Missouri (40-13) left plenty of chances on the bases Friday night, with the Mules leaving 15 runners on. They swiped a season-best ten bags on the RiverHawks, with the final stolen base accounting for the tying run.
Both of NSU's runs came in the eighth, with
Isaiah Keller and
Brayden Rodden hitting a sac fly. Rodden's fly-out to center was the go-ahead run at the time. Those runs came after
Gage Fuller had the bullpen performances of the postseason in the top half of the inning. Fuller entered the game with the bases loaded and no-out. He forced an infield fielder's choice, got a six-pitch strikeout, and ended the threat with a fly out to center.
Rodden had NSU's lone extra-base hit, and the RiverHawks struck out 12 times Friday.
CJ Briley went seven innings and allowed just one run to come home in his seventh start of the year.
Northeastern State (24-26) played 20 innings in their two games Friday and will turn around to face Missouri Southern in an elimination game Saturday at 11 a.m. The winner of that game will play Central Missouri at 3 p.m.
