Cary, N.C.-- Nothing comes easy at this stage of the game, and Sunday night proved that. Despite an early 6-0 lead, Lenoir-Rhyne had to work to fend off a late-inning rally from #2 seeded Central Missouri. In the end, Hickory native Gavin Marley came through with 2.2 innings of no-hit work to seal a 12-9 Bears win.

Hogan Stallings launched a grand slam in the first inning to set the tone, and Sal Carricato hit his 26th home run of the year in the fourth to add to LR's record breaking season total.

Lenoir-Rhyne advances to Wednesday's 1:30 game, where they will play the winner of Central Missouri and East Stroudsburg. In the drivers seat, one win would send the Bears to a best-of-three championship series this upcoming weekend. Either the Mules or Warriors would have to beat the Bears twice to knock them out. East Stroudsburg stayed alive today with a walk-off victory over Northwood in the early game.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (3) Lenoir-Rhyne 12, (2) Central Missouri 9
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (50-13), Central Missouri (44-12)
Location: Cary, N.C. | USA Baseball Nationonal Training Complex

STORY OF THE GAME:

• RBI's from Sal Carricato and Eli Willen set the Bears up for Hogan Stallings' grand slam in a huge 6-run first inning for the Bears.
• UCM got two back in the bottom of the inning before LR added on with a Carricato sac fly in the second.
• Three runs from the Mules in the third made it 7-5 Bears after three.
• Carricato continued to torment the Central Missouri pitchers in the fourth, hitting his 26th home run of the year to extend LR's lead to 9-5.
• Cole Laskowski cushioned the lead with a 2 RBI single in the fifth.
• Central Missouri chipped away, scoring four runs between the fifth through eighth innings to cut LR's lead to just two.
• Carricato drew a bases loaded RBI hit by pitch to give LR their final run of the game in the ninth.
• Gavin Marley came in and threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the win for the Bears.

STATS OF THE GAME:

• Sal Carricato was 2-for-4 with five RBI's and two runs scored while Hogan Stallings went 1-for-2 with four RBI's, two runs and two walks.
• Mackenzie Wainwright, Cole Laskowski, Cole Stanford, and Sal Carricato each had two hits.
• William Girardi (13-2) picked up the win, striking out four and allowing four hits and four earned runs in six innings of work.
• Gavin Marley (S, 10) struck out six and didn't allow a hit over the final 2.2 innings of the game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• The Bears are looking to join Wingate as the only two SAC schools to ever win a baseball national title.
• This was the 44th game of the season that saw the Bears reach double-digit hits (11).
• These teams had never met prior to tonight's game.
• Mackenzie Wainwright is just one base away (228) from tying the DII total bases single-season record.
• Sal Carricato's 96 RBI's are tied for 12th all-time in DII single-season history.

UP NEXT: The Bears will have two days off before taking on either Central Missouri or East Stroudsburg on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. from Cary. Those teams face off against each other on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in an elimination game.