Arkansas-Monticello's baseball season came to an end with a 7-4 loss to Central Missouri in the final of the NCAA Division II Central Regional on Monday at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud, Minn.
Trailing 4-3 after four innings, the Mules (42-13) scored three times in the fifth inning and once in the sixth to take the lead.
Matt Elliott led off the fifth with a double, stole third and scored on Dylan Farrell's single to tie the game 4-4. Later in the inning, Derek Cornell singled in Farrell to put the Mules up 5-4. They made it 6-4 when Jake Alexander stole home on a double steal.
In the sixth, Alexander's groundout scored Blake Wilfong to make it 7-4.
The Boll Weevils (40-16) trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the third before they tied it at 3-3. Corey Wood led off with a home run to make it 3-2. Later in the inning, a bases-loaded single by Guy Halbert scored Travis Steinke to tie it at 3-3.
In the fourth inning, Mitchell Dornblutt's single scored Wood to make it 4-3, giving the Boll Weevils their only lead of the game.
Both teams scored in the first inning. The Mules took a 1-0 lead on a leadoff home run by Elliott before the Boll Weevils tied it at 1-1 on a bases-loaded walk to Steinke. Central Missouri pitcher Lucas Williams came out of the bullpen in relief of starter Reece Ponak and struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning. Ponak faced 4 batters, walked 2, gave up 1 hit and did not record an out.
The Mules made it 2-1 in the second when Matt Safranek's sacrifice bunt scored Cornell. In the third, Alexander singled in Elliott to make it 3-1.
Williams (4-1), who pitched four innings of relief, got the victory. Grant Gavin pitched the final inning to get his 13th save of the season.
Zach McKnight (9-3) took the loss, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits in 4 innings with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Kevin Fitzpatrick led the Boll Weevils offensively by going 3 for 5. Corey Wood, who was named MVP of the regional, went 2 for 5 and scored 2 runs. Dornblutt went 2 for 5 and Halbert went 2 for 3.
Sports on 05/24/2016