Baseball Sweeps Colorado Springs in Home Opener

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 9, 2018) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball kicked off it's home slate with a doubleheader against Colorado-Colorado Springs. The Mules trailed in both games, but came from behind to pick up the win in each. The two wins put the Mules over .500 for the season at 3-2.

Game One: Cental Missouri 6, Colorado-Colorado Springs 4
Play-by-Play
• There was a lot of scoring early as all 10 combined runs were scored in the first four innings.
• The Mountain Lions got on the board in the first. The first three batters of the game all reached to load the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, a run scored on an RBI fielder's choice, but Mules starter Ben Kelsch escaped the inning allowing just the one run.
• The Mules came right back with two of their own in the first, scoring on a Justin Graff-Rowe two-out RBI single and then Erik Webb stole home with runners on first and third.
• UCM never trailed again and padded their lead an inning later. The first four batters all reached and Mason Janvrin drove in two with a double to center. Dalton Dull added the third run of the inning, scoring on a Travis Able sacrifice fly.
• The Mountain Lions fought back and chased Kelsch in the third. The first six batters all reached base and three came around to score on only one hit. The other two runs came on a UCM fielding error and a passed ball.
• Collin Jones inherited a tough situation with the bases loaded and one out. He got out of the jam unharmed getting a pop out and a ground ball to end the inning with UCM still ahead, 5-4.
• Central Missouri put one more on the board in the fourth. It was Janvrin again who hit one over the head of the center-fielder and sprinted around the bases for an inside the park home run, the first home run of his career.
• After a clean sixth inning, Luke Mercer relieved Jones in the seventh after the tying run reached base with one out. All Mercer needed was three pitches to get a double play to end the game.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Janvrin finished the game 2-3 with a home run and three RBI. He also scored a run.
• Jones picked up the win pitching four innings, letting up just one hit and no runs with two strikeouts and three walks.
• Eric Webb had a hit, a run scored and two stolen bases.
• UCM starter Ben Kelsch lasted 2.1 innings, giving up four runs on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
• Travis Able and Justin Graff-Rowe each had an RBI.

For the Mountain Lions
• Cody Norton went 3-2 with two runs scored.
• Jamie Crabtree drove in two runs.
• Colin Cicere started and gave up six runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
• Daniel Silva pitched two hitless innings in relief.

Game Two: Central Missouri 9, Colorado-Colorado Springs 7
• Central Missouri needed to come back again in game number two, which was a much higher scoring affair.
• UCM starter Zach Girrens struck out the side in the first, but ran into trouble in the second. With two out and one on, Girrens gave up a walk followed by four straight run-scoring hits, putting the Mountain Lions up 5-0.
• The Mules started to chip away in the third, getting a pair of RBI ground outs from Janvrin and Able, and then exploded in the fourth inning for five runs themselves.
• Trailing 6-2 after a UCCS home run leading off the fourth, the Mules sent nine to the plate and picked up five runs on five hits, to take their first lead, 7-6. Cole Taylor, Harrison Schnurbusch, Travis Able and Erik Webb all had run scoring hits. Able and Webb doing so with two outs.
• Bryce Kearns and Mason Green pitching in relief hurled a perfect fifth and sixth inning and the Mules got some insurance in the bottom of the sixth. Another two-out RBI single from Able put the Mules up 8-6. They'd be glad they got it because an inning later, the Mountain Lions scored an unearned run, bringing the lead back down to a single run.
• Looking to pad their lead in the eighth, the Mules got runners to second and third with nobody out. A sacrifice fly from Webb scored Dalton Dull, but nobody else crossed the plate.
• In the ninth, Mercer was called upon to pitch once again and after a walk and a strikeout, he induced his second game-ending double play of the day.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Able went 3-5 with a game-high four RBI and a run scored.
• Dull was 4-4 with two doubles, a stolen base and four runs scored.
• Webb went 2-4 with two RBI and a double.
• Kearns earned the win in relief throwing 2.2 innings and giving up one run on three hits with five strikeouts.
• Girrens struck out all seven batters he retired, but gave up five runs on four hits in 2.1 innings.
• Janvrin and Schnurbusch each had a hit, run and an RBI.

For the Mountain Lions
• Matthew McDermott drove in three runs with two hits including a home run. He also scored twice.
• Jaeden Hegmann was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored.
• Bailey Hanson lasted 3.2 innings, giving up seven runs (three earned) on seven hits with two walks.
• Joe Slocum came out of the pen to allow one run in three innings with four strikeouts.

News and Notes
• Game one of the doubleheader was a seven inning game.
• The Mules pounded out 13 hits and scored nine runs in game two, their most in a game this season.
• Luke Mercer picked up a save in both games.
• With runners on base, the Mules hit .414 over both games and had five two-out RBI.
• Mules pitchers buckled down when needed. The Mountain Lions were just 1-7 in two games with the bases loaded.
• In game two, the UCM bullpen threw 6.2 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out eight. 
• The bottom of the Mountain Lion order did damage in game two. 7-8-9 hitters combined to go 5-10 with four runs and four RBI.

Up Next
• Game three of this series has been canceled due to inclement weather in the forecast. UCM will remain at home and take on Winona State next weekend, Friday-Sunday Feb. 16-18 in a three game set.