Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The fifth-ranked Mules ran their winning streak to nine games with a doubleheader sweep of Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon at Al Ortolani Field in Pittsburg, Kansas. UCM cruised to an 18-2 win in the opener before taking the nightcap 5-1 for the sweep.

The Mules (40-7, 33-4 MIAA) scored at least one run in each of the first six innings en route to the 16-run win in game one. UCM plated three runs in the first to grab the early lead. Gabe Thibodeau led off with a triple and scored on Bret Schwartz' RBI single. Albert Selanders roped a two-run double as well to give the Mules the early advantage.

The Gorillas (20-27, 16-21 MIAA) got a run back in the bottom of the first, but the Mules got it right back in the top of the second on Schwartz' sacrifice fly to make it 4-1. UCM plated three more in the third to grab a 7-1 lead. John Oropeza led off the inning with a home run and Chase Graskewicz had a two-run double as well.

UCM put a five spot on the board in the fourth. Oropeza had an RBI double, Brad Wilson an RBI triple before a two-run single by Graskewicz and an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Trevor Jones.

Central Missouri added two more in the fifth to make it 14-1. Ryan Snyder had a run-scoring double and Adam Schultz added an RBI single.

Pittsburg State scored a single run in the bottom of the fifth, but the Mules came back with four more in the sixth to make it 18-2.Will Mulligan had an RBI single, while Snyder added a two-run double and Ben Cox had an RBI single.

Lee Stoppelman (8-0) earned the win on the mound for UCM after tossing six solid innings allowing two unearned runs on four hits. He walked just one and struck out nine Gorilla batters.

Jake Stevenson (4-5) took the loss for Pittsburg State after giving up 10 runs on 11 hits in 3.1 innings.

Eleven different Mules recorded hits in the game as UCM out-hit PSU 19-5. Graskewicz was 3-for-4 with four RBI, while Thibodeau, Schwartz, Oropeza, Wilson, Snyder and Cox all had two hits apiece.

The Gorillas took a 1-0 lead in game two on a Chase Barnes solo home run in the first inning, but that is all they would get. The Mules came back to tie the game in the third on an RBI triple by Schwartz.

UCM went in front in the third inning on a Jordan Coons RBI groundout to make it 2-1. The Mules added another single run in the top of the fourth to make it 3-1. Wilson walked, stole second and later scored on an RBI groundout by Selanders.

The Mules added two more runs in the top of the seventh. Schwartz had an RBI double to drive in Jon Cotter and Coons doubled home Schwartz to make it 5-1.

Kyle Jackson (6-1) allowed just one run on three hits with four strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Travis Unthank allowed one hit in 1.1 innings of relief to earn his seventh save of the season.

Matt Stalcup (7-6) took the loss for PSU after giving up five runs on six hits in seven innings. He walked five and struck out eight in the game.

The series, and regular season schedule, wraps up on Sunday with a single nine-inning game starting at 1 p.m.