WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 18, 2018) - It was a tightly contested game the whole way through, but in the end fifth-ranked Central Missouri Mules Baseball held off the Pittsburg State Gorillas, 7-6, Sunday afternoon at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. With the win, Central Missouri claims the series 2-1 over Pittsburg State.
Play-by-Play
• Both teams relied on three or more pitchers in the games, and nine totaled stepped on the mound. The Mules (19-4, 10-2 MIAA) had five, while the Gorillas (16-8, 8-4 MIAA) had four.
• The first run of the game did not come until the bottom of the second inning. Pittsburg State had two opportunities to lead first, but left two runners on base in the top of the first and second. The Mules left three runners stranded to start the game, but still managed to grab the lead in the second.
• Donovan Ditto was hit by a pitch to get on base and got to second on a wild pitch. Mason Janvrin got him home with a RBI single to center field to give UCM a 1-0 lead.
• Pittsburg State tied the game in the top of the third after Josh Whisler got on with a single to second base. Reece Garvie plated him home with a deep RBI triple to right center.
• UCM grabbed its largest lead of the game in the bottom of the third. After the Gorillas loaded the bases, Harrison Schnurbusch hit a two RBI double to give the Mules a 2-1 lead.
• Following Schnurbusch, Payne McCutcheon hit a two RBI single up the middle and it was a three-run UCM lead after three innings, 4-1.
• Pittsburg State added a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly to center field from Joeven Afenir to score Cody White. UCM was held without a run and led by just two, 4-2, after four innings.
• Both teams put up three runs in the fifth inning to make it a 7-5 game, with the Mules on top. The Gorillas led 5-4 after scoring their three runs, but it did not last long.
• The Gorillas hit three straight singles to score their first run. White hit a RBI single to center to score Dallas Reed. Following a fielder's choice, Colton Pogue had a RBI base hit through the left side to tie the game, 4-4.
• The final run that gave Pittsburg State its only lead came after two straight walks from UCM loaded the bases and them immediately brought a runner home.Â
• John Fairchild tied the game for the Mules with a solo home run to leadoff the bottom of the fifth. Tied 5-5, the Mules added two more runs to retake the lead.
• Ditto and Janvrin got on base from a walk and fielding error, respectively, and got into scoring position on a passed ball. Erik Webb plated them home with a two RBI double down the left field line to give UCM 7-5 lead.
• The Gorillas held UCM without a run in the final three innings. Their final run came in the eighth on a RBI ground out from Tyson Cushman.
• Pittsburg State got two runners on base in the ninth with two outs, but the Mules got the final out on a ground out to third base to seal the game.
Mules Stat Leaders
• Webb was 2-5, with two RBI. Both of his base hits were doubles.
• Ditto finished a perfect 2-2, with two runs scored.
• Justin Graff-Rowe went 2-5, with a run scored.
• McCutcheon collected a hit in three at bats, with two RBI.
• Fairchild was 1-4, with one RBI and two runs scored.
• Dimitri Frank picked up his second win of the year to improve to 2-0. He allowed three hits in 1.1 innings pitched and struck out two batters.
• Luke Mercer earned his second straight save and sixth of the season. In 1.2 innings pitched he allowed just one hit and struck out a batter.
For the Gorillas
• White was 3-4, with a RBI and a run scored.
• Garvie went 3-6, with an RBI.
• Reed finished 2-3, with two runs scored.
• Ethan Vanderpool suffered the loss to fall to 2-1 on the year. He allowed one hit and two runs, both unearned, in 0.2 innings pitched.
News and Notes
• The Mules have claimed every three game series they have played in this season against one opponent.Â
• UCM is now 88-35 in MIAA play under Kyle Crookes.
• Janvrin now has a hit in 12 straight games. He is the first Mule to have a hitting streak reach over 10 games this season.
• Graff-Rowe has 96 career hits. He is just four shy of reaching 100.
• The Mules are now 11-1 at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field this season, including winners of their last two.
Up Next
• The Mules are back on the road for their next four games. They get their road trip started with midweek match at Lindenwood on Tuesday, March 20. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
