EMPORIA, Kan. (April 7, 2017) – 19th-ranked Central Missouri rallied from a five-run deficit to take the lead, but couldn't hold on late as they fell to No. 17 Emporia State 9-8 in the first game of a three-game series on Friday night at Glennen Field.
The Mules out-hit the Hornets 18-10 in the game, but left 10 runners on base.
Emporia State (26-7, 15-4 MIAA) jumped on top early, taking advantage of two walks and a wild pitch to score two runs in the bottom of the first.
The Hornets pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second on Levi Ashmore's RBI single. The lead grew to 5-0 in the fourth when Ryan McBroom plated two runs with a single to right.
The Mules (21-10, 12-7 MIAA) got on the board in the sixth. With runners at first and second
Collin Nevil and
Justin Graff-Rowe had back-to-back run-scoring singles to bring UCM with 5-2. The Mules threatened for more, loading the bases with only one out, but a foul out and a strikeout ended the threat.
The Mules scored three more times in the top of the seventh to tie the game 5-5. UCM loaded the bases with one out in the inning when Nevil lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score
Blake Wilfong and make it 5-3. Graff-Rowe and
Matt Elliott followed that up with back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game.
Wilfong doubled with one out in the eighth and came around to score on a
Travis Able single to make it 6-5. Nevil added his third RBI of the game, a run-scoring single, later in the inning to extend the lead to 7-5.
The Hornets got a run back in the bottom of the eighth. Mason Brown reached on an error leading off the inning, went to second on a groundout and scored on Tucker Perkins' single to center to make it 7-6.
Elliott led off the top of the ninth with a solo home run to left and the Mules pushed the lead back to two at 8-6.
The Hornets rallied for three runs in the ninth to win it, however. The first two batters walked and the third reached on an error to load the bases. Following a fielder's choice groundout, Taylor Sanagorski hit a two-run single to tie the game at 8-8. The Mules intentionally walked the next batter to load the bases and McBroom scored on a wild pitch to give ESU the win.
Andy Muehlberger (1-2) suffered the loss for UCM after allowing three runs, only one earned, in the ninth inning. Starter
Zach Girrens allowed five runs on eight hits over six innings of work. The Mules issued five walks and committed three errors. Only five of ESU's nine runs were earned.
Trey Taylor (1-0) earned the win for Emporia State after tossing the final two-thirds of an inning.
Graff-Rowe finished the game 4-for-5 with two RBI. Able, Elliott and Nevil all had three hits apiece, including the home run for Elliott. Nevil drove in three, while Elliott had a pair of RBI.
The Mules look to even the series on Saturday when game two gets underway at 1 p.m. at the Trusler Sports Complex.
