WARRENSBURG, MO. — Central Missouri found a way to slow the Emporia State offense, and now the Hornets run to a regional championship just got a whole lot tougher.
The Mules rallied in the ninth inning to win 2-1 on Sunday to give the Hornets their first loss in the South Central Regional.
Emporia State now needs a win against Angelo State to have another chance against Central Missouri for the regional championship. The Hornets and Rams play at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The regional championship will be at noon on Monday.
ESU senior starter Tyler Applehans pitched one of the best games of his career, throwing eight scoreless innings before giving up a pair of runs in the ninth inning.
Applehans had given up just one hit until Bret Schwartz hit a one-out single and Will Feil tied the game with a triple down the right field line.
Diego Soto came on in relief and with the infield in, Jon Wegener hit a chopper to short that scored Feil for the go-ahead run.
The ESU offense, which scored 36 runs in the first two games of the regional, wasted several opportunities to give Applehans more than a one-run cushion.
The Hornets one run came in the fifth inning. Mike Sharp hit a one-out double and scored on Anthony Dreiling’s RBI single. Dreiling was thrown out trying to go for a double, one of several base-running mistakes by the Hornets.
Sharp also tried to stretch a single into a double in the seventh and was thrown out. Jacob White had a one-out single in the third and was picked off at first base by Ryan Romo.
Romo nearly matched Applehans, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up one run on six hits.
Before the ninth, Applehans (7-4) gave up just one hit in the fifth inning. Matt LaGree lined a single to left field that dropped in when Kellen Lane slipped while giving chase.
With two outs in the fifth, Stewart Hoover walked to give the Mules runners at first and second, but Applehans got Colin Murphy to fly out to end the inning.
The Mules again had a base runner in the sixth, but Applehans battled out of it and ended a long inning by striking out Feil looking.
Applehans entered the seventh with a pitch count of 109, and he got just what he needed, a six-pitch one-two-three inning. He got through a perfect eighth in just nine pitches, and ESU coach Bob Fornelli decided to leave him in for the ninth.
In his fourth time up, Feil made an adjustment, crowding the plate and looking to go opposite field. His approach worked and now the Hornets need two straight wins to advance to the World Series.
Check on the Gazette’s Web site later Sunday for the results of the Angelo State game, and for complete coverage, check Monday’s Gazette.