Nationally-ranked Central Missouri’s hitting attack proved too much for the UNO baseball team, as the Mavericks fell 7-1 to UCM in the MIAA championship game on Sunday afternoon at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. UNO dropped to 35-20 on the season, while the Mules improved to a record of 45-8.

With the win, No. 5 Central Missouri earned the MIAA’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament. Regional play begins next week, and the entire 64-team field will be announced tonight at 9 p.m. on NCAA.com.

Matt Curtis (10-0) earned the win with a three-hit, seven-inning effort on the mound. Curtis, who allowed one run, struck out four batters with no walks. UNO junior Brandon Winkelmann (1-3) took the loss, surrendering four runs on seven hits over four innings.

As a team, Central Missouri pounded out seven runs on 11 hits with no errors committed. UNO finished with one run on five hits with two errors. Junior Mark Waldron finished 2-for-4 at the plate.

UCM took a 2-0 lead off three hits in the top of the first. Bret Schwartz walked and Tyler Ruch had a bunt single, and both runners moved into scoring position with a double steal. Nick DeBiasse then sent a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Schwartz, followed by Jon Wegener’s RBI single to left center that plated Schwartz.

UNO got on the board in the bottom of the first, as freshman Caleb Palensky hit a solo shot to pull the Mavericks within one. The blast was Palensky’s fourth of the year and his second of the tournament, as he hit his first career grand slam on Saturday afternoon against Emporia State.

The Mules put up another run in the top of the third, extending the lead to 3-1. They pushed it to 4-1 in the fourth, as Will Mulligan scored on Schwartz’s sacrifice bunt, then made it 5-1 in the sixth when Tyler Anthony had an RBI double through the right side to score Specht.

UCM held Nebraska Omaha hitless until the seventh inning, when Waldron registered a single for the Mavs’ second hit of the game. With no outs, senior Jed Hanson keyed another single to right field, but Central Missouri doubled off Hanson at second while Waldron advanced to third with two outs. The Mules stopped UNO in its tracks, however, immediately getting the third out and halting the hopes for a rally.

In the ninth, DeBiasse had an RBI single that plated another run, and Ruch scored on a sacrifice bunt by Wegener to make it 7-1.

In the bottom of the ninth, junior Brady Hohl led off with a single to left center, but the Mules turned a double play to cut off the effort. Waldron then singled up the middle, but UCM forced a groundout to quell any hopes of a Maverick comeback and taking the 7-1 victory and the conference title.

Nebraska Omaha is now 6-4 all-time in MIAA Tournament history and has played in two championship games over its three years as a member of the league.

MIAA Freshman of the Year Caleb Palensky went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Nebraska Omaha to a 9-2 victory over Emporia State Saturday afternoon at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Cory Buckley pitched a complete game for UNO, allowing just two runs on 10 hits and striking out three to get the win.

The Mavericks got on the board first when Jed Hanson hit an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning, scoring Mark Waldron. Two innings later, Emporia State would answer and take its first lead of the game.

In the top of the third, Joe Kornbrust scored on a Jacob White single to tie the game at 1-1, and Andy Cotton followed that with an RBI single of his own to score White and give the Hornets the 2-1 advantage.

It didn’t take long for UNO to even the score, as Hanson doubled to left center to drive in his second run of the game in the bottom of the third.

Afterscoreless fourth and fifth innings, the sixth inning proved to be the decisive frame.

Nebraska Omaha pushed across three runs (all of them unearned due to four ESU errors) on two hits to take a 5-2 lead, and the Mavericks didn’t look back.

The game was still in reach for Emporia State heading into the bottom of the eighth, but singles by Brandon Winkelmann, Martin Sartin, and Brady Hohl loaded the bases and set the stage for Palensky. The freshman hit a shot down the left fieldline and off the foul pole to give UNO a 9-2 advantage and effectively end the game.

Starter Jake Hosey went 5.2 innings for Emporia State, giving up five hits and five runs(two earned) while striking out three.

With the win, Nebraska Omaha advances to Sunday’s championship game against Central Missouri at 1 p.m. UNO must win two games to earn the title, while UCM needs just one win. The second game will begin approximately 30 minutes after theconclusion of the first game, if necessary.