Merkel strikes out seven as No. 2 CMU sweeps Opening Day games

The No. 2 Central Methodist baseball program picked up two wins on Opening Day, defeating Our Lady of the Lake by scores of 16-1 and 12-5 Friday afternoon in San Antonio, Texas. 

Central’s offense came out swinging in game one. Central tallied runs in the first, second, and third innings to take a 4-1 lead over the Saints in the bottom of the third.

The big inning came in the top of the fifth, as Central scored seven runs on six hits to push their lead to 11-1. Solo home runs by junior Robbie Merced and freshman Victor Plaz in the next inning pushed the advantage to 13-1. Merced capped the first game with a three-run home run in the top of the seventh, solidifying a 16-1 victory. 

As a team, Central scored 16 runs on 15 hits. Freshman Tanner Sears collected four hits in five at-bats and two runs scored. Sophomore Tommaso Giarola went 3-for-5 including a two-RBI single in the fifth inning. 

Merced finished the game with a pair of home runs, including a three-run home run in the seventh. Overall, the Central bats drew five walks and left only five Eagles on base. 

Senior ace Nick Merkel pitched a gem in his first game on the mound. The Spokane, Washington native tossed six complete innings and gave up only one earned run on five hits along with seven strikeouts. 

Junior Ryan Jeffers came in as relief in the final inning, facing the minimum number of batters and ending the game on a 6-4-3 double play. 

In game two, a wild first inning concluded with Central holding a 4-3 lead over the Saints. The Eagles extended their lead in the top of the second with three runs on one hit, two walks, and an error by the OLLU infield. 

After tacking on a run in the sixth via sophomore Bobby Nichols’ home run, Central concluded the contest with four runs in the final inning. The Eagles drew two bases-loaded walks and sophomore Khalil Thrasher singled to left to drive in the final two runners. 

Sophomore Sebastian Escobar picked up his first career win as an Eagle, tossing four complete innings and giving up three earned runs on five hits. He also struck out five batters. Both junior Tyler Vicars and Jeffers came on in relief over the next three innings to preserve the victory. 

Nichols led the offense with three hits including a solo home run, a walk and three runs scored. Merced and junior Logan McDonald each collected two hits.

OLLU no match for CMU as Eagles soar to 4-0 to start season

The No. 2 Central Methodist baseball team completed the series sweep over Our Lady of the Lake with two wins over the Saints Saturday afternoon in San Antonio. OLLU received votes in the preseason NAIA poll but did not crack the top 20.

Central took game three of the series, 5-2 before closing the weekend out with a 9-2 victory in the finale. With the win, Central starts the 2022 campaign with a perfect 4-0 record, while the Saints fall to 1-6 overall. 

In game three, the Eagles struck first in the first inning on a RBI single from junior Robbie Merced which scored sophomore Bobby Nichols. The Saints responded with a pair of runs in the third inning to take a 2-1 lead over Central. CMU would even the score in the fifth after an error by the OLLU infield to score sophomore Josh Green. 

The Eagles tacked on three runs in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead. Sophomore pinch runner Terry Tolliver Jr. scored from third after a passed ball by the catcher which was followed by an RBI single from junior Cole Luedeking. Senior Grant Victor brought in the final run of the inning on a bases-loaded walk. 

Senior Beau Atkins came in relief for the final inning of work to preserve the 5-2 win and earn the save.  Freshman Tanner Sears and Merced each collected two hits, while Luedeking drove in two runners. 

Junior Anthony G. Rodriguez got his first career start as an Eagle, tossing four complete innings and giving up two earned runs on four hits with one strikeout. 

Sophomore Nino Puckett pitched two innings and allowed only one hit, earning his first win of the year. 

Central closed the series out with a 9-2 game-four victory. CMU tallied runs in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings and held the Saints to just two runs. 

Merced highlighted the Eagle bats with two hits, including a three-run home run in the third inning. Luedeking also tallied two hits, both RBI singles. 

Nichols, sophomore Tommaso Giarola, and senior Raul Cosme each collected an RBI. Sophomore Brandon Tyler earned the game-four start, tossing three-and-a-third innings in which he gave up two earned runs while striking out five batters. 

Junior Ryan Jeffers also saw action on the mound in the middle innings, before Atkins closed out the game with three scoreless frames. 

The Eagles are next set to compete in the Cajun Collision beginning Thursday, in Sterlington, Louisiana.