DuBois, PA – CMCC Baseball saw its time at the USCAA World Series come to an end on Tuesday night, after a 13-8 loss to #7 seed Penn State University-Schuylkill. The Mustangs went up 8-4, their third straight game at the tournament with a lead, but could not hold on in the later innings. Central Maine finishes a fantastic season that saw the team win their second-ever YSCC Tournament title and pick up their first victory at the World Series.
"After winning the Yankee conference championship, our plan was to go to the World Series to show teams that we did belong there," said head coach Ryan Palmer. "I feel like we did that. A couple of the coaches told us that they had different scouting reports on us based on how well we were hitting the ball. That's saying something."
The #9 seeded CMCC squad had designs on extending their stay at the national tournament, playing at Stern Field on a very rainy night in the win-or-go-home battle against PSU-Schuylkill.
The Nittany Lions took an early lead in the bottom of the first on a double steal with runners on first and third and two outs. The Mustangs were ready for the tactic and cut off the throw to second, trapping the runner in a pickle. Roman Cieless attempted to avoid the tag on the basepaths long enough for Connor Licklider to steal home. After second baseman Brandon Gour forced him back towards first, he fired to catcher Zac Gorman at the plate, but the throw was not in time to keep the run from scoring.
Central Maine tied things up in the top of the second. Jake Calver led off with a walk and Cody Cleaveland brought him around to score with an RBI double to right-center field that skipped to the wall. It was the sixth RBI of the World Series for the freshman from Richmond, ME, whose bat had been red hot.
Starting pitcher Teddy McFarland had a relatively clean bottom half of the inning, with the only runner reaching on a throwing error from third base, but that would prove to be a harbinger of things to come. The next inning, Licklider reached on an error at second before coming around to the plate on a Brenan Adams base hit. Brandon Pupek also had an RBI single to drive in USCAA 1st-Team All-American Owen Zimmerman. With two outs, a ground ball up the middle gave a chance at an inning-ending double play, but the throw to first sailed wide allowing Adams to trot home for a 4-1 lead.
The Mustangs responded in the top of the fourth with the same resilience they had shown all postseason. Logan Carpenter led off with a single, and Calver whacked a two-run home run to the deepest part of the ballpark over the centerfield fence. It was the first career collegiate home run for the freshman from Queensland, Australia to cut the lead to 4-3.
They weren't done yet either. Cleaveland single and Gorman walked, before Ryan Stone showcased his speed by bunting for a single to load the bases. The right fielder was picked off first base, but Lee Robertson drew a walk to set the stage for the top of the order. That would be the end of the night for Penn State-Schuylkill starter Braden Collazo who was relieved by Michael Kohler.
Gour welcomed the new pitcher by lining a two-run shot to center to take the lead, scoring Cleaveland and a courtesy-running Steven White. Garren Post then blasted a three-run homer over the right field wall, giving CMCC seven runs in the inning and an 8-4 lead. It was the left-handed hitting junior's third home run of the season.
That would be it for Central Maine's offense though. Zimmerman cut the deficit to two with a two-run hit into center field in the fourth, but the real damage was done the next inning. Brady Vincent came on to relieve McFarland and was taken deep for a lead-off home run by Pupek. An error on a ground ball to short with the bases loaded tied the game, and Zimmerman and Cieless hit back-to-back two-RBI doubles to go up 12-8. In the next inning, an error by Cleaveland in left field added a run off Jeff Meisner, meaning the Mustangs needed five in the top of the seventh to keep their season alive.
Carpenter and Calver both struck out before Cleaveland delivered a two out single. But Gorman's sharply hit ground ball was cut off at third to end the ball game. Overall, CMCC was doomed by six errors on the rainy turf, but it did not put a damper on the team's great year.
"This team is special," coach Palmer said. "They have a lot to be proud of. First YSCC title in 15 years. First trip to the small college World Series in more than a decade, and the first win at the national tournament in school history. It's a season I'll never forget."
The Mustangs bring their 2024-25 campaign to a close with a 27-15 overall record after going 10-5 in conference play and 4-2 in the postseason.
