KANSAS CITY, Mo. - College of the Ozarks cut Judson’s lead to two runs in the seventh inning, but the Eagles answered immediately and pulled away for a 7-2 win Saturday in the NCCAA World Series opening round at Urban Youth Academy (Motley Field). The decisive blow came in the eighth, when Alex Wickett lined a two-run single to center to extend Judson’s advantage to 7-2 and put the neutral-site game out of reach.

Judson established control early. After Kevin Flores reached on a Bobcat error in the first inning, Alijah Acevedo followed with a two-run homer to right-center for a 2-0 lead. The Eagles added two more runs in the third. Kyle Schwartz brought home Acevedo with a sacrifice fly to center, and Allan Navarro later scored on the same sequence after a caught-stealing play, pushing the margin to 4-0.

The Bobcats found life with a two-out rally in the fifth. Chase Robertson doubled to right-center, and pinch-runner Alex Nimmo came home on Hunter Lewis’ RBI single to trim the deficit to 4-1. Ozarks threatened again in the seventh when Robertson struck for his second double of the day and Aaron Fisher followed with a single to right, scoring pinch-runner Jace Rodgers to make it 4-2.

That momentum was short-lived. In the bottom of the seventh, Judson used a pinch-hit RBI single from Diego Munoz to score Austin Stone and restore a three-run cushion. An inning later, Wickett delivered the game’s final big swing, driving in Stone and Schwartz with his two-run single.

Robertson paced the Bobcats offensively, going 3-for-5 with two doubles. Lewis and Fisher each added two hits and an RBI as the Bobcats finished with seven hits, two doubles and six walks, but also left 12 runners on base. George Reynolds kept the Bobcats in the game for much of the afternoon, working 6 1/3 innings and allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits. Jayden Carpenter covered the final 1 2/3 innings.

Judson starter Owen Wanner earned the win after throwing 7 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and two runs while striking out four over 121 pitches. Jacob Skinner recorded the final four outs, allowing one hit and no runs, to close out the win. Acevedo finished with two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs, and Wickett drove in two runs as Judson out-hit the Bobcats 11-7.

The Bobcats will return to action Monday at 11:00 am in their second World Series game against Ohio Christian University.