Pregame
Mission entered the NCCAA Central Regional Tournament as the No. 2 overall seed in the nine-team double-elimination field hosted at Ozark Mountain Sports Complex in Ozark, Missouri.
The Patriots opened tournament play Wednesday afternoon against seventh-seeded Randall University. After falling in the opener, Mission faced a quick turnaround with an elimination game later that night against ninth-seeded Calvary University. The Patriots then returned Thursday afternoon for another elimination matchup against sixth-seeded Arlington Baptist University.
Game 1 Summary – Randall 12, Mission 8
Mission battled back late but could not overcome an early deficit in its tournament opener Wednesday afternoon.
Randall struck first in the opening inning before Mission answered immediately when Kaedan Thompson drove in Drew Vaughan on a fielder's choice to tie the game at 1-1.
Randall pulled ahead with three runs in the second inning and added another run in the third on a solo home run by JT Cappadona to build a 5-1 lead.
Mission chipped away in the fifth inning with RBI plays from Trey Mulholland and Collin Miser to cut the deficit to 6-3, but Randall responded with a six-run sixth inning to extend the lead to 12-3.
The Patriots answered with a five-run bottom of the sixth. Carter Vienhage started the rally with an RBI single before Vaughan added an RBI base hit. Zachary Beatty brought home another run on a fielder's choice, Mulholland added a sacrifice fly, and Miser capped the inning with an RBI double to center field.
Mission finished with 10 hits in the contest, including three from Miser and two doubles from Tony Myres, but Randall held on for the 12-8 victory.
Game 2 Summary – Mission 9, Calvary 4
Facing elimination just hours later, Mission responded with one of its strongest offensive performances of the regional to stay alive Wednesday night.
The Patriots scored in the opening inning when Mulholland doubled home Vaughan for an early 1-0 lead. Mission then broke the game open with a four-run third inning.
An error allowed Landon Parker to score before Mulholland delivered another big hit with a two-run double. Kaedan Thompson later added a sacrifice fly to push the advantage to 5-0.
Calvary answered with three runs in the bottom of the third, but Mission regained control in the fifth inning when Tony Myres lined a two-run single to center field to make it 7-3.
Mission added insurance runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. Thompson aggressively advanced on a throw that allowed Mulholland to score in the sixth before Beatty drew an RBI walk in the seventh.
Ian Brown earned the win after striking out four across three innings, while Lane McEachern closed the final four innings and struck out five.
Mulholland led the offense by going 3-for-5 with three RBI and two doubles. Vaughan and Kadean Jacobs each recorded two hits in the victory.
Game 3 Summary – Arlington Baptist 8, Mission 3
Mission's tournament run ended Thursday afternoon as Arlington Baptist used a strong opening inning to pull ahead early.
Arlington Baptist jumped in front 3-0 in the first inning after Hector Cavazos connected on a three-run home run.
Mission answered in the second when Jordan Wood lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Kyle Langford and trim the deficit to 3-1.
The Patriots cut further into the lead during the fifth inning. After Landon Parker and Vaughan reached base, Miser ripped a two-run double to center field to make it a 5-3 game.
Arlington Baptist responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning with two more runs, highlighted by an RBI double from Cavazos, to stretch the lead back to four runs.
Mission collected 10 hits in the game, including three from Vaughan and two from Miser, but stranded nine runners on base. Arlington Baptist starter Ryan Mendiola went the distance to secure the win.
Trey Mulholland struck out 11 batters across six innings on the mound for Mission.
Stat Leaders
- Drew Vaughan: 7-for-12, 4 runs scored, RBI across three games
- Trey Mulholland: 5 RBI, four doubles across tournament play
- Collin Miser: 7-for-11, 6 RBI, three doubles
- Tony Myres: 5-for-10, 4 RBI, two doubles
- Trey Mulholland (pitching): 11 strikeouts vs. Arlington Baptist
- Lane McEachern: 4.0 innings pitched, 5 strikeouts vs. Calvary
Series Notes
- The NCCAA Central Regional Tournament featured a nine-team double-elimination bracket.
- Mission entered the tournament as the No. 2 overall seed.
- The Patriots scored 20 total runs across three tournament games.
- Mission recorded 31 hits during the regional.
- Collin Miser totaled seven hits and six RBI during the tournament run.
Postgame
Mission battled through the elimination bracket after the opening-round defeat and responded with a win over Calvary University before eventually falling to Arlington Baptist on Thursday afternoon.
The Patriots showed offensive consistency throughout the regional, reaching double-digit hits in all three games while receiving strong performances from multiple veterans throughout the lineup.
