The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Central Missouri, 6-5, in 10 innings on Friday afternoon at Crane Stadium in Warrensburg, Mo.
The Bearcats fall to 13-12 overall and 8-7 in the MIAA while the Mules improved to 14-8 and 12-3 in conference action.
Northwest trailed 4-1 in the ninth but rallied with three runs to force extra innings.
Nick Gotta was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. He drew two walks and stole two bases.
Kolby Greenslade was 1-for-4 with a run scored. He drew a pair of walks and stole a base.
Ozzie Adams was 2-for-6 with a run scored.
Jake Lewis drew two walks, scored a run and also drove in a run.
Aaron Barratt was 1-for-1 after entering the game as a pinch runner in the seventh inning.
Garrett Fort recorded an RBI and James Holler was 1-for-5.
Anthony Caenepeel got the start on the mound, going 6.1 innings. He allowed four runs on nine hits, with three being earned. He struckout three and walked one.
Hondo Pearcy pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to get Northwest into the ninth. He struck out one, walked one and did not allow a hit.
Carson Smith gave up two runs, only one earned, going 1.2 innings. He had a strikeout and a walk, allowing one hit.
Gotta started the gane by drawing a six pitch walk. Greenslade followed it up with a single up the middle and Adams reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Lewis drew a walk on four pitches, driving in Gotta to make it 1-0 Northwest.
Caenepeel worked a perfect second inning, recording a flyout and two groundouts on just five pitches. Pearcy worked a perfect eighth inning to set up the Bearcat rally in the ninth, getting a strikeout, a foul out and a flyout.
Greenslade reached on a fielder’s choice after a Gotta leadoff single. Adams singled to center to put runners on first and second with one out. Lewis drew a walk to load the bases. Barratt hit the first pitch he saw, scoring Greenslade to make it 4-2 Mules. Fort grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Adams to make it a one run game. With Meyer at the plate, a wild pitch allowed Fort to score from third to tie the game, 4-4.
Holler led off the 10th with a single to center and went to second on a Jay Hrdlicka sacfice bunt. Nikko Pablo came in to pinch run for Holler at second with one down. Gotta came up next and hit a 2-1 pitch into center, scoring Pablo to put the Bearcats up, 5-4.
The series concludes on Saturday at 1 p.m.
— Northwest Athletics —