The No. 5-seeded IUP baseball team secured the program’s first victory at the NCAA Division II College World Series on Monday, defeating top-seeded Central Missouri, 4-3, in Cary, N.C.
IUP (39-17) scored runs in the second and fifth innings and plated two more in the bottom of the eighth to seal the win.
In the eighth, DH Andrew Sicinski had an RBI single, and first baseman Brady Yard hit a sacrifice fly. Second baseman Harrison Pontoli was 2 for 4 with an RBI double. Derrick Shields started and allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Jason Madrak (2-0) earned the win in relief after allowing two hits with a walk in 1 1/3 innings.
IUP, which lost to Point Loma in the opening round Saturday, advanced to play the winner of No. 4 Point Loma and No. 8 Angelo State at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the double-elimination tournament.
Central Missouri finished its season 52-10.
