WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The Northwest Missouri State baseball team (15-16, 9-9 MIAA) made history Tuesday afternoon at Tompkins Field, securing its first-ever win against a top-ranked opponent with a dominant 13-4 victory over No. 1 Central Missouri (22-8, 13-5 MIAA).

The Bearcats racked up 12 hits, including seven for extra bases (six doubles, one triple), and finished strong by scoring nine unanswered runs in the final three frames.

Dylan Hufft had a perfect day at the plate, going 5-for-5 with three RBI – a home run short of the cycle. Ryan Williams contributed three doubles and three RBI, while Kaehukai Young added two hits and drove in three runs.

On the mound, Landon Wells (1-1) took over for starter Ashton Neuman in the fifth and shut down the Mules, throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and five strikeouts.

Northwest struck first in the opening frame. Chester Brooks reached on an error, and Neuman drew a walk before Hufft singled. Williams then ripped a two-run double down the left-field line, and Young followed with another two-run double to put the Bearcats up 4-0.

A rain delay momentarily stalled Northwest's momentum, and Central Missouri answered with two runs in the bottom of the first, one in the second, and another in the fifth to tie the game at 4-4.

In the seventh, Hufft's third hit of the game set the stage for Williams' second double, putting runners in scoring position. Young's ground out plated Hufft to regain the lead at 5-4, and a wild pitch added another run for a 6-4 advantage.

Wells continued to deal, striking out two in the bottom of the seventh before the Bearcats broke the game open in the eighth. Alex Bowers led off with a double, and a dropped third strike allowed Selock to reach safely. Neuman's sacrifice fly brought in a run, followed by Hufft's two-RBI triple—his fourth hit of the game—to push the lead to 9-4. Williams capped the four-run inning with an RBI double.

Northwest added three more runs in the ninth to secure the 13-4 victory over the top-ranked Mules in Warrensburg.

The win marked back-to-back victories over Central Missouri for the first time since 2018 and Northwest's first win in Warrensburg since 2021. The 13 runs were the most allowed by Central Missouri since an 18-16 loss to Missouri Southern on May 11, 2024. The Bearcats and Mules will meet again on April 15. 

UP NEXT 
The Bearcats hit the road for a three-game MIAA series against Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. Game one is set for Friday, April 4, at 5 p.m.