The Central Methodist baseball team capped a four-game sweep of Park University Saturday afternoon, using an extra-innings win in the day-two opener followed by an offensive barrage in the finale. Central won big in Friday’s doubleheader, 11-1 and 9-0, before completing the sweep over the Pirates 6-5 in eight innings and 16-6 on Saturday.

The four-game sweep pushed the Eagles to 13-8 overall and 4-0 in the Heart of America. Park drops to 8-11 and 0-4 in conference action.

Game 1

Park 1

Central Methodist 11

Central broke open a tight game with an eight-run sixth inning to secure the double-digit victory.

Park scored first in the top of the second inning on a fielder’s choice RBI to take a 1-0 lead.

The Eagles quickly answered in the bottom half when Dariel Rios scored on a balk to even the score at 1-1.

CMU grabbed control in the fifth inning when Jordan Vazquez launched a two-run home run to left field, scoring Landon McKillip and giving the Eagles a 3-1 advantage.

The Eagles then erupted in the sixth. RBI hits from Justin Smith, Dawson Foster, Vazquez, Gavin Whitehurst and Dariel Rios highlighted the inning as Central Methodist pushed across eight runs on eight hits to stretch the lead to 11-1.

Vazquez finished 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI, and two runs scored. Whitehurst went three-for-four with two RBI, while Rios collected two hits and an RBI. Justin Smith also added two hits and an RBI.

On the mound, Westin Walls earned the win after tossing six strong innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out six. Alexander Gryckiewicz worked the seventh inning in relief.

Game 2:

Park 0

Central Methodist 9

The Eagles carried the momentum into the second game, scoring in four different innings to complete the day-one doubleheader sweep.

Central opened the scoring in the first when Rios drove in Vazquez on a fielder’s choice.

The Eagles then put the game out of reach with a five-run second inning. RBI hits from McKillip, Whitehurst, and Rios fueled the rally, while Ryan Malzahn added an RBI groundout as CMU built a 6-0 lead.

Malzahn later delivered an RBI triple in the fourth to extend the advantage to 7-0 before the Eagles added two more runs in the fifth on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout from Jack Prewett.

Whitehurst led the offense with a 3-for-4 performance and an RBI, while Rios drove in three runs on two hits. Malzahn added a hit and two RBI, and McKillip chipped in a hit and drove in one run.

Derick Garcia earned the win for Central Methodist, throwing five shutout innings while allowing six hits with five strikeouts. Vince Ray and Riley Schnieders combined for two scoreless innings to close out the shutout.

Game 3 (8 Innings)

Central Methodist 6

Park 5

Central Methodist erased an early deficit and walked it off in extra innings to claim the day-two opener.

Park jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first on a three-run home run.

The Eagles answered in the fifth inning, rallying for four runs to take their first lead of the game. Gavin Whitehurst delivered a two-RBI single to score Jordan Vazquez and Landon McKillip, while Joshua Smith later crossed the plate on a catcher’s error to tie the contest. Dariel Rios then ripped an RBI triple to center field, bringing home Ryan Malzahn and giving CMU a 4-3 advantage.

Park tied the game in the sixth on an RBI single before Central briefly regained the lead when Malzahn drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-4.

The Pirates forced extra innings in the seventh after scoring on a wild pitch to even the score at 5-5.

CMU ended the game in the bottom of the eighth. With the bases loaded, Rios was hit by a pitch, forcing in McKillip for the walk-off run and a 6-5 Eagles’ victory.

Rios finished with two RBI, while Whitehurst drove in two, and Malzahn added an RBI with two hits. Vazquez went 2-for-3 with two walks and a run scored.

Jeremy Yanow earned the win on the mound, tossing eight innings while allowing five runs (4 earned) with four strikeouts.

Game 4

Central Methodist 16

Park 6

The Eagles’ offense exploded in the second game, highlighted by a massive eight-run third inning and four home runs.

Central struck first in the opening frame when Rios blasted a three-run homer to left field to give the Eagles an early 3-0 lead.

After adding another run in the second, Central broke the game open in the third. Zeb Wede started the scoring with an RBI single, and Justin Smith followed with a two-run home run. Later in the inning, Whitehurst drove in another run before Malzahn crushed a grand slam to center field, capping the eight-run frame and giving CMU a 12-0 advantage.

Park rallied for six runs in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 12-6, but the Eagles responded immediately. Whitehurst homered in the bottom of the fifth, and CMU tacked on three more runs in the sixth to close out the 16-6 win.

Whitehurst led the offense with three hits, three RBI, and three runs scored, while Malzahn drove in five runs. Rios added three RBI, and Smith finished with a two-run homer. Wede also recorded two hits and an RBI.

On the mound, Alexander Gryckiewicz picked up the win in relief after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings.

Central Methodist finished the day with 22 hits across the two games and swept the four-game series against the Pirates.

Central heads out on the road for a four-game series against Baker University on Saturday in Baldwin City, Kan. The first pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.