ST. CHARLES, Mo. (March 20, 2018) - Fifth-ranked Central Missouri Mules Baseball continued their strong play on the road as they took down the Lindenwood Lions, 9-5, Tuesday evening at Lou Brock Sports Complex. With the win, UCM is winners of its last three games and has now won eight straight on the road.
Play-by-Play
• It took until the third inning before either team produced a run. The Mules (20-4, 11-2 MIAA) and Lions (12-12, 5-8 MIAA) had just three total hits before scoring.
• The Mules jumped out 1-0 in the third. Collin Nevil got on base with a single to the shortstop. Three batters later he got home on a fielding error by the third base.
• Cole Taylor and Mason Janvrin got on base with singles to left and center field, respectively, in the fourth. They were plated home off a two RBI double from Travis Able to give UCM a 3-0 lead.
• The Lions got on the board in the bottom of the fourth thanks to three straight singles and a UCM fielding error. Neil Fischer had the first hit and two more base hits along with the error helped him score Lindenwood's first run.
• UCM looked to create separation in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs on five hits, but Lindenwood scored two runs on two hits to stay within four, 7-3.
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Justin Graff-Rowe was walked to start the inning.
Zak Whalin hit a single to get on base. Both advanced after a
Harrison Schnurbusch sacrifice bunt and Taylor drove them home with a two RBI single up the middle.
• Leading 5-1, the Mules continued to hit the ball well. Three singles in the next four at bats help add two more runs and make it a 7-1 lead.
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Donovan Ditto followed Taylor up with a base hit to third. Janvrin loaded the bases with a single through the right side. Two batters later, Nevil scored Taylor and Ditto with a base hit down the right field line to give UCM the six-run lead.
• Wes Degener was walked to leadoff the bottom of the fifth. After a ground out and a wild pitch he got to third. A RBI single from Drew Quinones scored Degener and two batters later, Quinones was plated home thanks to base hit from Dominic Revetta.
• Both teams got back into a defensive groove and held each other scoreless in the sixth and seventh inning.
• Graff-Rowe ended the scoring drought with a solo home run to left field. Whalin followed him up with a double and got home thanks to a Taylor single which put UCM up 9-3.
• The Lions scored a run in the bottom of the eighth and the ninth to make it a 9-5 game, but the Mules kept them from ever mounting any sort of comeback.
• Both teams finished with over 10 hits, but the difference was the pitching. The Mules struck out 11 batters and had just two walks all night. The Lions fanned eight batters, but had five walks on the night.
Mules Stat Leaders
• Taylor had a solid day with three hits in five at bats. He had three RBI and scored two runs.Â
• Nevil went 3-5 as well, with a run scored and two RBI.
• Whalin finished 3-4, with two runs scored.
• Graff-Rowe was 1-4 and had one RBI, with two runs scored.
• Lucas went five full innings for the Mules to pick up his second win in two starts (2-0). He struck out four batters, while allowing three runs, all earned, on six hits.
•
Stanton Lohrengel had a game-high six strikeouts in three innings of relief pitching for UCM.
For the Lions
• Vince Saladino had three hits in five at bats to lead Lindenwood. He also had a RBI and a run scored.
• Fischer was 2-4, with a run scored and a RBI.
• Revetta finished 2-5, with a RBI.
• Michael Cessna suffered the loss (1-1) as he allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits in the first four innings. He had two strikeouts on the night.
News and Notes
• The Mules have now won eight straight road games and are 8-1 so far this season. They are winners in 10 of their last 11 games.
• Graff-Rowe's home run is his first of the season and the fifth of his career as a UCM player. He is now three hits shy of reaching 100 in his UCM career.
• UCM is now 25-10 against the Lions all-time and 6-5 against them under
Kyle Crookes. The win also snaps a two-game losing streak to Lindenwood.
• The Mules are now 3-0 in Tuesday games this season.
Up Next
• The Mules remain on the road as they head to Edmond, Okla., for a three game series against Central Oklahoma Friday-Sunday, March 23-25. Friday's game is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch.
