Adam Shupe's fourth-inning home run helped propel Park University into the 2009 MCAC Championship Game with a 17-4 win over Peru State College.

Box Score

OMAHA, Neb. – Park University got home runs from Adam Shupe and Jesse Kearns, and the Pirates used a pair of big innings late to beat Peru State College 17-4 in the 2009 MCAC Tournament, eliminating the Bobcats and putting the Pirates in Wednesday’s championship game against Bellevue University at Omaha’s Esping Family Field.

The win also marked the 200th in the coaching career of the Pirates' Cary Lundy, who is now 200-141-1 in seven seasons at the helm of the Park University baseball program.

Park (34-11) had six RBIs from Kearns, who went 2-for-4, while Shupe was 2-for-5 with four runs batted in and Nick Kouratou collected three runs scored in a 2-for-5 day at the plate. Darian Sandford also scored three runs while collecting two hits, while Ryan Weedin, Ryan Duede and Pete Peters also posted two-hit games in Park’s 34th win of the year.

The Pirates broke the game open with three runs in the sixth inning and four more in the eighth, taking an 11-2 lead. Peru State (30-22) scored late, but the Pirates answered with another big inning in the ninth, scoring six to give Kiki Fuentes his seventh win of the year on three strike outs in 7.1 innings pitched.

Duede, Peters and Sandford reached consecutively to lead off the sixth for Ryan Weedin, and after Duede came home on a wild pitch, Weedin singled through the right side to drive in two, bringing home both Peters and Sandford to make it 7-2.

In the eighth, Kouratou lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Duede to make it 8-2, and three more came across two batters later, when Kearns laced a bases-loaded double to right, bringing in Peters, Sandford and Justin Gambill to move ahead by nine.

The Pirates’ final runs came in the top of the ninth when Gambill scored on a ground-ball error by the Peru defense, followed by a Jeff Miser single to left that scored Peters, pushing the lead to 10. An error scored another run for the Pirates to make it 14-3, and Kearns put a finishing touch on the game, hammering his 12th home run of the year over the left field wall to go up 17-3.

Park University opened with a lead in the first inning when Shupe doubled to the gap, bringing in both Sandford and Kouratou to make it 2-0. Peru State answered in its half on a Mark Houck sacrifice fly to cut the lead, but in the third inning, Shupe struck again, this time lifting off over the left field wall for his 11th home run of the season to put the Pirates in front, 4-1.

Houck would again answer in the bottom of the third for Peru, doubling to bring in Ryan Baroudi, but the Bobcats managed only two scores over the game’s final six innings.

To follow Wednesday’s noon game, log on to www.parkathletics.com and click on the tournament coverage page below the MCAC graphic. Live statistics and live audio of the game will be available, and if necessary, a second game will be played at Esping Family Field immediately following the championship opener.

Wednesday’s championship winner will qualify automatically for the 2009 Avista-NAIA World Series Opening Round, with pairings available online Friday afternoon at www.naia.org.