Lisi Leads UCM to 8-1 Win over ESU

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (UCM Media Relations) – The No. 4 Central Missouri Mules got another great pitching performance, this time from senior right-hander Don Lisi in an 8-1 win over eighth-ranked Emporia State on Friday night at the NCAA South Central Regional at V.J. Keefe Memorial Stadium.

Lisi (9-2) threw 8 and 2/3 innings, giving up only one run (unearned) and striking out six. He threw a career-high 145 pitches, and walked only one batter all night.

Central Missouri (47-8) got the lead in the fourth off ESU (43-11) starter Zach Gove, who was facing the Mules for the third time this season. Sophomore Albert Selanders executed a squeeze bunt with the bases loaded and no outs to score the first run, but the Hornets got out of the inning without any further damage. ESU almost tied it in the bottom half of the inning, but UCM left fielder Luke Schlechte threw out the Hornets' Dillon Hazlett at the plate, trying to score from third on a fly ball to shallow left.

The Mules tallied two more in the fifth on a bases loaded walk of senior Jon Wegener, followed by a sacrifice fly by Selanders. The Hornets scored their only run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single to the shortstop from Hazlett, knocking in Andy Cotton, who moved up a base on a passed ball, before stealing third.

Central Missouri broke it open in the top of the seventh thanks to a two-out, two-RBI double to right center by Frank Specht, making it 5-1. The Mules forced ESU to use six different pitchers, drawing 13 walks on the night.

The Mules made it 8-1 in the eighth, highlighted by an RBI single to center from Wegener, followed by a bases loaded hit by pitch of Selanders, giving him a team-best three RBI on the night. Nick DeBiasse had three hits, while Wegener had two of the Mules 10 hits.

The Mules are now the only undefeated team left in the regional, and will play at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night against the winner of the St. Mary's-Emporia State elimination game, being played at noon.