Mules Drop Series Finale to Gorillas

PITTSBURG, Kan. (April 1, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball (20-10, 12-6 MIAA) looked for a road sweep Monday afternoon in Pittsburg, Kan. In another low-scoring game, the Mules led 2-1, but one big swing put the Gorillas on top for good as they took the finale 4-2.

Play-by-Play
• Both teams had opportunities to score early. Mason Janvrin singled and Alex Madera doubled to lead off the game. Those two were left stranded though as the Gorillas escaped the threat unharmed.
• In the bottom of the inning, it was the Mules turn to leave runners on base. PSU put two on with one out, but Tyler Hasper ended the inning with a strikeout and a fly out.
• The game remained scoreless until the fourth. Pittsburg State put a run on the board without the benefit of a hit. A hit by pitch started the inning and he came in to score on an RBI groundout.
• Central Missouri tied it in the fifth. Madera launched his second double of the game, moving Janvrin to third with one out. Harrison Schnurbusch brought him in wih a sacrifice fly, tying the game at one apiece.
• The Mules took the lead an inning later, taking advantage of the Gorillas lack of control on the mound. Micah Evans led off getting hit by a pitch. He moved to second on a wild pitch and then to third on a ground ball. Standing 90 feet away, Evans scampered home with the go ahead run on the second wild pitch of the inning.
• The lead only lasted until the bottom of the inning though. Hasper walked the first two batters before giving way to Bryce Kearns. Kearns was greeted with a three-run home run by his first batter and PSU took a 4-2 lead.
• The Mules didn't get a baserunner the rest of the way, and came up short of a three-game sweep.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Tyler Hasper went the first five innings. He allowed three runs on three hits with five walks and five strikeouts.
• Bryce Kearns struck out three in his two innings of work and Conor Dryer threw a perfect inning with two strikeouts.
• Mason Janvrin reached base three times with a single and two walks. He also scored a run. 
• Alex Madera was 2-5 with a pair of doubles.
• Harrison Schnurbusch knocked a hit and an RBI.

For the Gorillas
• Dante Richardson started and lasted 5.2 innings allowing two runs on four hits with five walks and five strikeouts.
• Justin Root got the win out of the bullpen. He struck out three in 2.1 hitless innings.
• Tanner Lane secured the save with a perfect ninth.
• Alex Achtermann was 2-3.
• John Oliver had the biggest hit of the game, finishing 1-3 with a home run and three RBI.

News and Notes
• Erik Webb's chase at the UCM hitting streak record came to an end at 28, four shy of the mark. He ties Bret Schwartz for the longest hitting streak since 2000.
• Webb did reach via a walk and moved his reached base streak to 29 games. Mason Janvrin extended his reached base streak to 30 this season, 42 dating back to the end of last year.
• Bryce Kearns recorded his 50th career strikeout. 
• Both the Mules two runs and four hits are season lows.
• Each team struggled with runners on base. UCM was 2-12, 0-8 with RISP while the Gorillas were 1-16 with men on, 1-9 with RISP. 

Up Next
• The Mules will stay on the road this coming week for a series with MIAA leaders Missouri Southern. The three-game series runs Friday-Sunday, April 5-7.