Mules Drop One-Run Game to Lions

PITTSBURG, Kan. (May 11, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball (36-14) suffered their first loss at the MIAA Tournament Saturday afternoon, 5-4 to Missouri Southern. The Mules scored the first four runs, but the Lions got five unanswered to force a game between these two teams tomorrow morning.

Play-by-Play
• UCM, who had been used to playing from behind, jumped on top of the Lions with a two-run first. Erik Webb doubled and Michael Sinks tripled to plate a pair of runs.
• The Mules added to their total in the second and third. Mason Janvrin's RBI single to right scored Josh Schumacher in the second. Schumacher then came up in the third and drove in Harrison Schnurbusch with a double that got over the first base bag.
• After that, the Mules bats cooled off. Missouri Southern got back in the game with three in the bottom of the third. The inning started with a single and a hit-by-pitch. A single brought in a run. MSSU then scored twice more without a hit. A sacrifice fly and a wild pitch made it a one-run game, 4-3.
• An inning later the Lions tied the game with a home run leading off the fourth inning. 
• The score stayed tied at four until the seventh. A leadoff single and sacrifice bunt put a runner on second with one out. One batter later, a single to left gave MSSU their first lead, 5-4.
• UCM put a runner on base in both the eighth and ninth, but couldn't bring the tying run in as the Lions held on.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Mason Janvrin was 3-5 with an RBI.
• Zak Whalin had two hits in three at bats.
• Josh Schumacher was 1-2 with a double, run scored and an RBI.
• Erik Webb and Michael Sinks each had a hit and drove in a run.
• Mason Green started and lasted 3.1 innings allowing four runs on three hits with six strikeouts.
• Bryce Kearns tossed 3.2 innings out of the bullpen giving up a run on two hits.
• Conor Dryer worked a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts.

For the Lions
• Bradly Hershey got the win throwing 7.1 innings out of the bullpen with three walks and six strikeouts.
• Ryan Hunter scored twice with a hit.
• Matt Miller was 1-4 with a home run.
• Mike Million was 1-3 with a run and a home run.

News and Notes
• All three Mules games at the MIAA Tournament have been a 5-4 score.
• Mason Janvrin reached base for the 50th straight game this season and 62nd dating back to last year.
• This season, UCM is 2-2 against Missouri Southern.
• Central Missouri outhit the Lions 11-5.
• The Mules left 11 runners on base.
• This was Bryce Kearns' longest outing since throwing five innings against Southwest Baptist on March 15.

Up Next
• These two teams will meet again tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. in an elimination game. The winner will advance to the MIAA Tournament Championship.