Season Stats | Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
JOPLIN, Mo. - After last night's extra inning one-run game, Central Missouri played two more nailbiters Saturday afternoon. UCM split two one-run games with Missouri Southern, winning game one 7-6, before dropping the second 3-2 in extra innings. UCM is now 12-11 on the season and 8-7 in the MIAA.
The Mules held on for a win in game number one. Both teams put up runs quickly. UCM scored in the first three innings and the Lions in three of the first four.
Trevor Jones led off the game with a double and came around to score the first run on a pair of productive groundouts.
Tony Sandifer picked up the RBI.
The Lions evened up the score in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single up the middle.
UCM put some distance between themselves and the Lions with a three-run second inning.
Dusty Maas tripled home
Bennett Oliver and
Jackson Schnurbusch and
Jake Alexander had RBI base-knocks, giving the Mules a 4-3 lead.
Missouri Southern fought back though in the bottom of the inning, bringing the score to within one with a two-RBI single.
The Mules put up their second straight three-run frame in the third.
John Oliver, Maas and Schnurbusch picked up RBI hits in the inning as the Mules extended their lead to a game-high four, 7-3.
MSSU scored two in the fourth and one in the sixth, cutting the lead back to one heading to the last of the seventh. The Lions got the winning run on base, but
Trevor Ezell shut the door for his sixth save of the season.
Ross Juliana threw 1.2 innings in relief allowing a run on two hits and striking out the batter. He earned his first win of the season. UCM starter
Tyler House went the first 3.2 innings and allowed five runs (three earned) on five hits while striking out three and issuing three walks.
The Mules picked up 11 hits, two each from Jones, Maas and Schnurbusch. Maas and Schnurbusch each finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Maas also scored a pair of runs.
Game two started much differently than the first.
Jake Heissler matched zeros with Lions starter Payton Walker through four innings.
The offense's finally produced in the fifth. UCM scored first as Mass and
Billy Maloney both scored on a fielder's choice from
Jake Alexander.
The Lions cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning on a one-out solo home run.
The score remained 2-1 into the last of the seventh. Heissler, going for the complete game, surrendered a home run to lead off the inning, tying the game at two. The Lions put the winning run on base, but Heissler escaped to send the game into extras.
After the Mules couldn't push across a run in the top of the eighth, the Lions ended the game with a walk-off single to right.
Heissler took a no decision throwing seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked only two.
Paul McMahon suffered the loss.
The Mules were held to just three hits, two of them came from Maas. He was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
UCM concludes its series with the Lions tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
