CARY, N.C. – Back-to-back nights the Mavericks used a big second inning to propel themselves to a win in the NCAA National Championships at the USA Baseball Training Complex. Colorado Mesa defeated Central Missouri 6-5 and advanced to the National Semifinals for the third time in program history.
 
Caleb Farmer led off the second inning with an infield chopper that was mishandled by the third baseman followed by a Jordan Stubbings single to left field to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch.
 
Chase Hamilton hit a sacrifice fly to right center field to plate Farmer for the first run of the game. Trevin Reynolds was hit by a pitch followed by a well-executed safety squeeze by Johnny Carr that scored Stubbings from third.
 
Josh Shapiro finished off the barrage with a single to right field that scored Reynolds.
 
In the inning, the Mavericks (52-10) scored three runs on three hits.
 
Colorado Mesa added two more in the third on a RBI double by Spencer Bramwell with another run coming in on a double play in the inning.
 
All nine Mavericks in the order got at least one hit in the game.
 
Central Missouri (44-15) plated their first run in the bottom of the fourth inning but Colorado Mesa erased that run with a single run in the top of the fifth inning. Reynolds, who started for the Mavericks on the mound Saturday, hit a line shot to center field that scored Chase Hamilton who doubled earlier in the inning.
 
The Mules got two runs in the fifth and two runs in the sixth to make it 6-5 but that's all the closer they got.
 
Freshman Andrew Morris got the ball in game two of the National Championships and once again was solid. Morris (7-1) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and struck out just one in five and a third innings of work. The Boulder native had his lone 1-2-3 inning in the third inning but kept the Mavericks in the game.
 
Morris handed the ball over to Frankie Fitzgerald after getting an out in the sixth inning. Fitzgerald allowed one run on three hits, walked one and struck out one.
 
With two outs in the seventh, head coach Chris Hanks pointed to his right arm, signaling that he wanted his closer, Will Dixon. The senior was outstanding, allowing just one hit and struck out four getting the final seven outs of the game. The save was his 16^th of the season, tying the single season Colorado Mesa mark with Keith Nelson who saved 16 games in 2007.
 
For Colorado Mesa, it was their first-ever win over Central Missouri. The only other meeting the two teams had come in 2006 at a tournament in Las Vegas.
 
The Mavericks will await the winner of Ashland and Central Missouri on Thursday in the National Semifinals. Ashland defeated NYIT in an elimination game earlier in the day.