The No. 24 Central Methodist Baseball program took three wins in a four-game series against Clarke on Friday and Saturday in Peosta, Iowa.

CMU mounted a comeback in the first game to secure a 3-2 win in eight innings. Central never trailed in the second, defeating the Pride, 6-2. Central’s offense carried them to a 20-0 victory in game three of the series before Clarke salvaged a win in the finale by a final score of 7-5.

The near sweep improved the Eagles’ record to 17-9 overall and 11-5 in the Heart of America Conference.

Friday, March 21

Game 1: 

CMU 3

Clarke 2 

After a pitcher’s duel through the first two and a half innings, the Pride got on the board first with a run thanks to a one-out sacrifice fly. 

The Eagles trailed by one until the top of the fifth inning, when they pushed across two runs to gain a 2-1 advantage. With Gavin Whitehurst at second and Dominick Proctor at first after consecutive walks, Valentin Cerna Jr. singled to left. On the same play, Whitehurst came around to score after a Pride defensive miscue. Kyle Williams brought in the second run after a fielding error by the Pride’s second baseman.

In the bottom of the sixth, Clarke tied the game at 2-2 on a single back up the middle.

The Eagles had a runner on base in the next inning but couldn’t capitalize. Clarke went down in one-two-three fashion in the bottom half to push the game to extra innings.

Ryan Malzahn began the eighth with a double down the left-field line. With two down, Whitehurst connected on a double to right-center, bringing in Malzahn and giving Central a 3-2 lead.

Clarke had the tying run at first in the bottom of the eighth. Landon Winingham made the second out on a fielder’s choice to get the lead runner out at third. The final out came as Tanner Sears threw the runner out, going from first to second, sealing CMU’s extra-innings win.

Foster Seitz earned his fifth win of the season starting for the Eagles. The right-hander threw seven strong innings while allowing just two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

Winingham picked up his third save of the year after allowing one hit in a shutout final inning.

Friday, March 21

Game 2:

CMU 6

Clarke 2 

CMU wasted no time scoring runs in the second game, blasting out five runs in the first inning. With two away and Cerna Jr. safely at first after an error, Malzahn hit a two-run home run to right-center field, his fourth of the year. Carlos Negron showcased his power, homering to right field and giving CMU a 3-0 lead.

Still in the first, and with Darius Freeman and Whitehurst both reaching base on walks, Zeb Wede singled to left to make it a 4-0 game. A balk by the Pride’s pitcher scored Whitehurst from third for the fifth run of the inning.

Clarke scored two runs in the bottom of the third to trim CMU’s lead to 5-2. But Central added one more to its tally in the fifth courtesy of a double from Freeman to left-center to score Malzahn.

Eagles’ starter Cesar Morales finished off a complete game, tossing three straight scoreless innings to give Central its 10th conference victory of the season. Overall, the junior allowed just two runs on five hits while walking four and striking out seven in seven innings of work.

Saturday, March 22

Game 1:

CMU 20

Clarke 0 

Central picked up the first three runs in the top of the first, as Tanner Sears doubled to bring in Kyle Williams followed by a Carlos Negron single to make it a 2-0 game. The third run of the inning came on an error by the Pride’s shortstop.

Sears tallied his second RBI of the day on a groundout to second base, bringing home Valentin Cerna Jr. from third in the fourth inning. 

The Eagles broke the game wide open in the fifth, scoring six unanswered runs. All four were driven home by singles from Gavin Whitehurst, Zeb Wede, Cerna Jr., and Williams. 

Already ahead 10-0 after five, the Eagles added nine runs in the sixth inning to increase their lead. Negron, Cerna Jr., and Sears all went yard, with Cerna Jr. cashing in four runs on a grand slam.

CMU added one more in the final inning, with Aaron Guess Jr. scoring on a wild pitch to increase the Eagles’ lead to 20, completing their third double-digit victory of the season.

Marcos Lopez was outstanding on the mound, pitching five shutout innings and allowing just three hits while striking out nine.

Vince Ray and Alfred Ulloa both came in, and each tossed in an inning in relief to preserve the shutout.

Saturday, March 22

Game 2:

CMU 5 

Clarke 7

With a four-game sweep on the line, the Eagles jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first off a miscue by the Pride’s defense.

Clarke’s bats, however, wasted no time in responding with four runs in the bottom half to gain a three-run advantage. The Eagles cut the deficit to one after adding two more runs in the second to make it a 4-3 game. 

Clarke took those two runs back in a hurry by notching two of its own in the second to regain a three-run lead at 6-3.

With the Eagles down four in the fourth, Central managed to produce two more runs courtesy of RBI singles from Ryan Malzah and Negron.

Clarke’s pitching held the Eagles to three straight scoreless innings immediately after, securing the Pride’s lone win of the four-game series.

Central will return home for only the second time this season for a four-game weekend series against William Penn University starting on Saturday at Estes Field. The first pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.