Central Arizona's dreams of defending its 2019 title ended Friday with a 7-4 loss to McLennan in the championship round of the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series.
The Vaqueros fell when McLennan scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning despite the fact that CAC tried to battle back with two in the ninth. Central would have had to defeat the Highlanders twice in order to claim the crown as the team advancing from the elimination bracket.
CAC managed just four hits and struck out 20 times against McLennan pitching and yet still trailed only 2-1 entering the bottom of the eighth.
Central actually jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third when Kiko Romero hit a solo home run.
The Vaqueros finished the season with a 51-8 record. The Highlanders ended up 47-16.
