Baseball | 5/21/2016 8:23:00 PM

Box Score   St. Cloud, Minn. --- The last two undefeated teams at the 2016 NCAA Division II Central Region tournament met Saturday night and when it was over ninth-rated Central Missouri came out on top of Minnesota State 3-0.

The Mules limited the Mavericks to three hits in the game and the Mavericks left a total of five runners on base.

Central Missouri struck first, getting four singles to push across a couple of runs in the bottom of the third. It became a 3-0 Central Missouri lead in the bottom of the sixth when senior first baseman Bennett Oliver belted his 24th home run of the year when his long fly ball to right cleared the rightfield fence and that was all the offense the Mules needed.

The Mavericks failed to score off of Mules' starter Carlos D'Armas, who went the first six and a third innings, before giving way to Tayler Ross and Grant Gavin, who did not yield a baserunner in the final 2.1 innings. Jordan Hart's double to left field in the top of the fifth was Minnesota State's lone extra base hit in the game.  Chase Lonetti and Tory Miller, who both singles in the game, had the other two Maverick hits.

Minnesota State junior righthander Mitchell Bauer, who took the loss and now stands 6-4 for the year, went the first 5.1 innings, giving up three earned runs while walking two and striking out five.  Sophomore Aaron Rozek tossed 2.2 scoreless inings for the Mavericks, allowing a pair of hits while striking out one and walking one.

Central Missouri, which owns a 41-13 mark, advances to Monday's championship game.

Now 36-17 for 2016, the Mavericks play again Sunday in this double-elimination tournament and will face the winner of the Emporia State and Arkansas-Monticello game at 3:30 p.m.