Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box | Season Stats
HAYS, Kan. -- The Central Missouri Mules rebounded from a doubleheader sweep yesterday to earn a split in their four-game series at Fort Hays State with a doubleheader sweep on Friday afternoon at Larks Park. The Mules won the opener 5-2 and then held off a late Tiger rally to win the nightcap 7-5.
The Mules (6-5, 2-2 MIAA) scored twice in the second inning of game one and three times in the third to grab a 5-0 lead.
Trevor Ezell had an RBI single to get the scoring started for UCM in the second and he later scored when
Jake Nickelson stole second base.
Miles Orscheln led off the third inning with his first collegiate home run to give the Mules a 3-0 lead and
Bennett Oliver's RBI single made it 4-0.
Collin Nevil scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to give the Mules a five-run cushion.
Fort Hays State (2-4, 2-2 MIAA) got on the board with two runs in the fifth, Gus Strunk had an RBI double and Alex King added a sacrifice fly for the Tigers.
Starter
Jake Heissler (2-0) earned the win for Central Missouri after tossing 4.1 innings allowing two runs on just two hits. He struck out four and walked three.
Grant Gavin picked up his first collegiate save pitching the final 2.2 innings allowing just one hit while fanning two.
Gabe Cook (0-1) took the loss for FHSU after giving up five runs on seven hits in just 2.1 innings.
Central Missouri out-hit Fort Hays State 10-3 in the game.
Game two got off to a fast start with both teams plating a pair of runs in the first inning. Austin Unrein and Andre Vieyra had RBI singles for the Tigers while
Trevor Jones and
Tony Sandifer each knocked in a run for UCM.
The Mules jumped on top 3-2 in the third when Jones singled home Orscheln. The lead grew to 6-2 with three more runs in the fourth. Nickelson drove in a pair with a single to right and
Dusty Maas added a sacrifice fly later in the frame.
The Tigers scored three times in the seventh on just two hits to pull within a run at 6-5. Two walks and two hit batters aided FHSU in the inning and Caleb Cherryholmes delivered a two-run single. UCM got one run back in the bottom of the inning when
Jackson Schnurbusch scored on a Tiger error to give UCM a two-run lead.
Ezell came on to record the final seven outs for the Mules to earn his fourth save of the season.
Ricky Rivera (1-1) picked up the win after tossing 6.2 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits. He struck out five and walked four.
Brad Spires (0-2) took the loss for Fort Hays State after surrendering six runs on four hits in 3.1 innings. He walked five and struck out five.
Orscheln finished the day with four hits and two RBI while Jones and Nickelson each drove in a pair of runs as well.
The Mules return to action next weekend when they travel to Emporia, Kansas to take on fourth-ranked Emporia State. The series gets underway with a single game on Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader will start at 1 p.m. and Sunday's series finale has a 12 p.m. first pitch.
