WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 12, 2019) - It was a classic pitcher's dual Friday afternoon in Warrensburg. The Mules and Lindenwood Lions combined for just eight hits and the only run was a walk-off RBI single in the ninth to give the Mules a 1-0 win. Central Missouri has won three straight and are 24-11 this season, 15-7 in the MIAA.
Play-by-Play
• This was all about the pitchers. Lindenwood's best chance to score came in the very first inning. They put two on with two out, but a pop up to shortstop got
Ben Kelsch through the inning unharmed. It was the only inning the Lions left more than one baserunner on base.
• The Mules also had a chance to take an early lead, leaving two on in the first as well.
Mason Janvrin led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch, but was the first out of the inning, getting picked off.
• Another walk and a double put two in scoring position with two outs, but a ground out kept the game at 0-0.
• The first wasn't the only inning the Mules were tagged out on the bases. In both the fifth and seventh innings, the Mules gave up an out on the base paths, once to end an inning.
• In the fifth the Lions were set up with runners at first and second following a leadoff single and a Mules error. Kelsch coaxed a 4-6-3 double play and a another groundout to end the inning with the game still scoreless.
• After two 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth from
Jonathan Sprinkle, the Mules finally were able to punch in a run.
Erik Webb stung a ball for a one-out single.
Michael Sinks kept the inning alive with a 2-2 single to left.
• One pitch later,
Micah Evans' hard hit ground ball found it's way to the outfield and the throw home came up short to get Webb at the plate who slid in with the game-winning run.
Mules Stat Leaders
•
Ben Kelsch threw seven scoreless innings allowing just three hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
• Johnathan Sprinkle tossed two perfect innings in relief with a strikeout.
•
Erik Webb was 2-4 with a run scored.
•
Micah Evans had a hit and an RBI.
•
Harrison Schnurbusch and
Michael Sinks had the other two hits.
For the Lions
• Kyle Hentis took the hard-luck loss throwing all 8.2 innings and allowing one run on five hits with four walks and eight strikeouts.
• Bryce Beckmann was 2-3 with a double.
• DJ Miller had a single in four trips to the plate.
News and Notes
•
Mason Janvrin lost his 15 game hitting streak, but a walk to lead off the game gave him a 35-game reached base streak. Only six Mules have had longer single-season streaks since 2000 and dating back to last year, Janvrin has reached in 47 straight games.
•
Erik Webb also upped his reached base streak to 34 games going 2-4.
•
Jonathan Sprinkle needed only 14 pitches to get six outs.
•
Ben Kelsch's seven innings pitched are a season-best. The last time he threw at least seven innings was in a win against Missouri Western February 25, 2018.
• It is just the second time in Mules history they have won a game 1-0. They had a 1-0 last season against Missouri Southern, on April 29. It is the third 1-0 win under Coach Crookes.Â
Up Next
• Game two of the series takes place tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.
