Box Score KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The fifth-ranked Mules captured their third straight MIAA Tournament title with a 7-1 win over Fort Hays State on Sunday at Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, Kansas. It is the 20th MIAA Tournament Championship in school history.

The Mules (44-7) struck first in the third when MIAA Player of the Year Bret Schwartz (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs HS) singled home Chase Graskewicz (Hudson, Wis./Hudson HS) to give UCM a 1-0 lead.

Central Missouri added three more runs in the fifth to make it 4-0. Schwartz drove in his second run of the game with a single to left field and later scored on a single from John Oropeza (Kansas City, Kan./Bishop Ward HS). Brad Wilson (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias HS) finished off the scoring with a sacrifice fly.

The Tigers (29-24) got on the board in the top of the seventh on a Mace Krol sac fly, but the Mules answered in the bottom half on an Albert Selanders (Overland Park, Kan./Rockhurst HS) RBI single to make it 5-1.

UCM tacked on two more runs in the eighth to build a 7-1 advantage. Schwartz drove in his third run of the game with a groundout and Jordan Coons (Jefferson City, Mo./Jefferson City HS) added an RBI double for the Mules.

Central Missouri got another solid start on the mound, this time by Kyle Jackson (Kearney, Mo./Kearney HS). Jackson (7-1) allowed one run on eight hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out three. Aaron Baker (Belton, Mo./Belton HS) picked up his second save of the season tossing three innings of scoreless relief. He allowed four hits and fanned two.

Shawn Lewick (7-5) took the loss for Fort Hays State after giving up four runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings on just two days' rest. Reliever Kyle Leroy gave up three runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings.

The Mules out-hit the Tigers 15-12 in the contest as Coons finished the day 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored. Schwartz was 2-for-5 with three runs driven in. He also scored a run and moved into second place on UCM's career runs scored list with 228. Selanders, Gabe Thibodeau (Laval, Quebec) and Jon Cotter (Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) also had two hits each.

The Mules have now won 16 of the last 19 MIAA Tournament titles and have won the regular season and tournament crowns in three straight years.