Mules claim series win with 7-5 victory at Pitt State

PITTSBURG, Kan. (March 5, 2017) -- Collin Nevil hit a pair of home runs and Travis Able provided the game-winning runs with a two-run double in the eighth as the third-ranked Mules beat Pittsburg State 7-5 on Sunday at Al Ortolani Field. The Mules took two out of three games from the Gorillas and are now 13-3 overall and 5-1 in MIAA play.

Pittsburg State (7-11, 1-5 MIAA) struck first scoring an unearned run in the second to grab a 1-0 lead. The Mules quickly responded with Nevil belting a two-run home run to right center to put UCM in front 2-1.

The Gorillas tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on Dallas Reed's RBI single, but the Mules regained the lead, 3-2, in the top of the sixth on Nevil's second home run of the game and fourth of the series.

Justin Graff-Rowe and Erik Webb had back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh and the Mules led 5-2. Able's two-out, two-run double down the left field line in the eighth scored Jackson Schnurbusch and Mason Janvrin to give the Mules a 7-2 lead.

The Gorillas took advantage of two walks, a hit batter and two UCM errors in the bottom of the eighth to score three times and pull within 7-5, but Andy Muehlberger came on in relief to strike out Reed with the go-ahead run at the plate.

Muehlberger set the Gorillas down in order in the ninth, two by strikeout, to earn his second save in as many games. Luke Mercer (2-0) earned the win in relief for the Mules after allowing two runs on three hits in 2.1 innings of relief. 

Dante Richardson (0-1) took the loss for Pitt State, giving up three runs on five hits in 5.1 innings of work.

Graff-Rowe, Webb, Nevil and Matt Elliott all had two hits apiece for UCM with Nevil driving in three.

The Mules return home next weekend to host Central Oklahoma. The three-game series gets underway on Friday night, March 10, at 6 p.m. at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.