PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Arkansas Tech University Wonder Boys took down the Northwest Missouri State University baseball team in an elimination game at the 2026 NCAA Div. II Central Region game at Al Ortolani Field, 12-5.
Northwest finished its 2026 season with an overall record of 36-18. Arkansas Tech is 36-21 overall. The Wonder Boys took advantage of eight extra-base hits in Friday’s action.
The Wonder Boys cracked the scoreboard first when Kirby Jenkins smacked a solo home run to right-center in the opening home half. Catcher Tommy Caya greeted Bearcat starting pitcher Logan Brasel with a two-run homer to right, increasing the ATU lead to 3-0 with only one out in the first. Head coach Tony Jandron lifted Brasel after the Caya round tripper and turned to Jase Johnson from the bullpen. Johnson got ATU’s Luke Caussey to bounce into a double play to end the first with ATU holding a 3-0 advantage.
Johnson induced another inning-ending double play in the second to keep the ATU lead at 3-0.
While the Bearcat offense was limited to one hit through the first three innings, Johnson was holding down the Wonder Boys with double-play grounders. Johnson got Jenkins to ground into a double play for the first two outs of the third inning.
The Bearcat offense generated a scoring opportunity in the fourth with back-to-back singles from Wilmer Jimenez and John Connors. Michael Good dropped down a sacrifice bunt to put both runners in scoring position, but Parker Griffith ground out to shortstop to end the threat with Arkansas Tech still holding a 3-0 lead.
The Wonderboys tacked on a run in the fourth inning off Johnson to push the advantage to 4-0.
Leo May worked a walk to begin the top of the fifth. Chester Brooks followed with a two-run homer to left field off the light pole just beyond the wall to slice the lead in half to 4-2. It was Brooks’s fourth home run of the season. Jordi Ventura beat out an infield single for his second hit of the game with two outs. Jimenez was retired on a fielder’s choice to third to end the top of the fifth with Arkansas Tech on top, 4-2.
Arkansas Tech’s Jenkins belted his second solo homer of the day with one out in the fifth off Bearcat reliever Tyson Hilsabeck to increase the lead to 5-2. The Wonder Boys added two additional runs on wild pitches from Hilsabeck that gave Arkansas Tech a 7-2 bulge. The Wonderboys poured on three more runs when shortstop Brendyn Bard launched a three-run homer to left-center off Hilsabeck to make it 10-2 in favor of ATU.
Connors collected his sixth home run of the season with a solo shot down the left field line to lead off the sixth inning.
Jandron turned to Jeremy Evangelista to pitch in the sixth. The Wonder Boys touched up Evangelista with a walk, triple and double for two runs and a 12-3 lead. Northwest brought on Jayme Fritts with a runner on second with no outs in the sixth. Fritts limited the damage and kept the Wonder Boys off the board for the rest of the sixth inning.
Northwest would not relent and put together an offensive effort in the seventh. Frank Gall led off with a walk and moved to second on a single to center from Jeremiah Cabuyaban. Jimenez laced an RBI-single to left field to plate Gall and moved Cabuyaban to third. Jimenez’s hit chased ATU starter Daniel Hutchison from the contest.
Hutchison tossed 6 1/3 inning and struck out four batters. He was touched up for eight hits and four runs.
Northwest’s Graden Hammond worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Jimenez capped the scoring with a two-out, two-run solo home run to left field. Jimenez’s home run cut the Arkansas Tech lead to 12-5. It was Jimenez’s ninth home run of the season.
