The Central Methodist baseball team won one game and lost three in a four-game Heart of America Athletic Conference weekend series against Baker in Baldwin City, Kan.

The Eagles move to 14-11 overall and 5-3 in conference play after the weekend.

Saturday

Game 1

CMU 1

Baker 4

Central Methodist was limited offensively in the opener, managing just one run on six hits in the loss.

The Eagles struck first in the third inning when Dariel Rios delivered an RBI single to score Gavin Whitehurst for a 1-0 lead.

Baker answered in the bottom half of the inning, capitalizing on a CMU error to tie the game at 1-1. The Wildcats then took control in the fifth, plating three runs (2 earned) to build a 4-1 advantage they would not relinquish.

Rios led the Eagles offensively, going a perfect 3-for-3 with the team’s lone RBI. Zeb Wede added two hits, while Whitehurst accounted for the team’s only run and stole a base.

On the mound, Westin Walls turned in a solid outing despite taking the loss, allowing four runs (2 earned) on five hits over six innings while striking out two.

Saturday

Game 2

CMU 7

Baker 6

The Eagles responded in a big way in game two with timely hitting and late execution to secure a one-run victory.

Central jumped out early, scoring three runs in the first inning behind aggressive baserunning and Baker errors. Rios delivered a two-RBI single in the frame to give the Eagles an early cushion.

Baker answered quickly, scoring once in the first and erupting for four runs in the second to take a 5-3 lead. The Wildcats added another run in the fourth to make it 6-5 after Central had briefly tied the game on a two-run home run by Wede the third.

The Eagles continued to battle, tying the game in the sixth when Whitehurst singled home Landon McKillip. CMU then took the lead for good in the seventh, as Wede drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to score Rios.

Wede finished with three RBI, including the home run, while Rios added two hits and two RBI. Whitehurst also recorded two hits and drove in a run, and Ryan Malzahn scored twice atop the lineup.

Out of the bullpen, Jeremy Yanow earned the win, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings while working around traffic late. Vince Ray provided a key middle relief stretch, allowing just one run over 3.1 innings to keep the Eagles within striking distance.

Game 3

CMU 5

Baker 9

Central Methodist jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning behind RBI doubles from Dariel Rios and Zeb Wede. Baker responded with a decisive five-run second inning, highlighted by a three-run home run to take a 5-2 advantage.

The Eagles cut the deficit to one in the fourth when Simon “JJ” Yoakum IV launched a two-run homer to right, making it 5-4. However, Baker answered again in the fifth with four runs, including a three-run triple, to extend the lead to 9-4.

CMU added a run in the sixth on an RBI double from Wilson Decker but could not complete the comeback.

Yoakum led the offense with two RBI, while Rios added two doubles in a 2-for-3 effort.

Game 4

CMU 4

Baker 15

Baker’s offense remained on point in the series finale, scoring in six of its seven at-bats and pulling away with a six-run sixth inning.

The Wildcats built a 6-0 lead through three innings, capitalizing on walks and timely hitting. CMU got on the board in the fourth with an RBI double from Yoakum, and Justin Smith added a solo home run in the fifth to make it 8-2.

Central continued to chip away with runs in the sixth and seventh, including RBI from Dawson Foster and Wede, but Baker’s explosive sixth inning, capped by a two-run homer, put the game out of reach.

Yoakum finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double, while Rios added two hits.

Central was to host Clarke University for a non-conference doubleheader starting at noon on Tuesday after the Advertiser went to press. The Eagles close out March with a four game series Saturday and Sunday at Missouri Valley College in Marshall.