Box Score 1 | Box Score 2  | Season Stats

MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The 22nd-ranked Central Missouri Mules opened their four-game series at Northwest Missouri by sweeping a doubleheader on Friday afternoon at Bearcat Field. The Mules won the opener 9-6 in extra innings before taking the nightcap 6-1.

The Mules (28-11, 25-5 MIAA) got on the board in the top of the first in game one on a Kevin Gratza two-run double to lead 2-0. The Bearcats (19-16, 14-13 MIAA) tied the game in the second on a Steve Garber two-run single and took the lead on Austin Wulff's run-scoring single.

Tony Sandifer singled home Trevor Jones in the third to tie the game. That tie stood until the eighth when Matt Molbury doubled home two runs and Brad Jelinek added a bases loaded RBI bunt to give UCM a 6-3 lead. The Bearcats rallied, however, for three runs in the bottom of the inning to extend the game.

Central Missouri got an RBI triple from Brad Wilson in the ninth to break the tie. Gratza's RBI double and Seth Wheeler's RBI single made it 9-6 in favor of UCM.

Zach Davis (3-1) earned the win in relief for the Mules after giving up three runs on four hits in 2.2 innings. Starter Ricky Rivera gave up three runs, only one earned, on five hits in 6.1 innings.

Blane Reutter (3-1) took the loss for the Bearcats after giving up three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of relief.

Dusty Maas' RBI single in the top of the second of game two gave the Mules an early 1-0 lead. Wulff continued his hot hitting for NWMSU though, tying the game with an RBI double in the bottom of the frame.

Jake Alexander scored on a passed ball in the third to break the tie and give Central Missouri the lead for good. Alexander then drove in Jelinek with an RBI fielder's choice in the fourth to make it 3-1. RBI singles from Gratza, Jones and Alexander in the fifth gave the Mules the 6-1 advantage and that is all they would need.

Lucas Williams (3-0) tossed a solid 5.1 innings, scattering four hits and allowing one run.

Hondo Pearcy (3-3) took the loss for the Bearcats after giving up two runs on seven hits in 2.1 innings.

The series will wrap up on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. The start time of the doubleheader has been pushed up one hour from it's originally scheduled time of 1 p.m.