ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (May 5, 2019) - It isn't too often that a team can lose a game and still be presented with a championship trophy, but that's exactly what happened today for Central Missouri Mules Baseball (34-13, 24-9). The Mules lost the battle, falling in the regular season finale 11-8, but won the war by claiming the MIAA Regular Season Championship with their win last night and today were presented with the MIAA Championship trophy. 

Play-by-Play
• The Mules stormed out of the stables putting up three runs in the first. Erik Webb's RBI double to plate Mason Janvrin started the scoring.
• Later in the inning the Mules scored twice without a hit. Michael Sinks brought in Alex Madera with a sacrifice fly and Webb came in on a ground ball to make it 3-0.
• Missouri Western got one back in the home half of the first. With two outs, a solo home run cut the lead to 3-1.
• The score stayed that way until the fourth. Cole Taylor led off the frame with a home run to right.
• The Griffons answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs. An infield single brought in a run and throwing error on the same play scored another, making it a one-run game, 4-3.
• After scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth, Gaven Strobel gave the Mules a 5-3 lead with a double down the left field line to score Josh Schumacher in the seventh.
• Helped out by three walks in the inning, Missouri Western took their first lead scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh.
• An RBI single made it a 5-4 game and the tying run came in on a wild pitch.
• With two outs, the Griffons scored two more on a single that found some room inside the left field line for a 7-5 lead.
• Trailing for the first time, the Mules answered right away with one big swing. Josh Schumacher launched a three-run homer to left as UCM retook the lead, 8-7.
• That was short-lived though as for the second straight inning the Griffons scored four runs.
• A one-out single tied the game at eight, and one batter later, a three-run home run gave the Griffons an 11-8 edge.
• The Mules got the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but the Griffons escaped with an 11-8 win.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Josh Schumacher finished 2-4 with a home run and three RBI.
• Erik Webb was 2-5 with two runs and an RBI.
• Gaven Strobel picked up two hits and an RBI.
• Cole Taylor was 1-3 with a home run and two runs batted in.
• Mason Janvrin singled, stole a base and scored a run.
• Mason Green got the start on the mound and went 3.1 innings allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits with three strikeouts.
• Coby Seiz pitched 1.2 innings giving up a hit and striking out four. 

For the Griffons
• Jacob Miller started and pitched eight innings allowing eight runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts.
• Jacob Purl got the save with a scoreless ninth.
• Fahd Shakeel had a 3-4 day with two runs and an RBI.
• Dusty Stroup and Brooks Day each hit home runs.

News and Notes
• Mason Janvrin has now reached base in 59 straight games dating back to last year. That's the most in a single season or two-season combined streak since the record was kept in 2000. He reached in all 47 regular season games.
• Erik Webb has reached base in all 46 games he played in this season.
• The Mules nine walks that were issued matched their second-most in a game this season. Five of the nine walks eventually came in to score.
• Josh Schumacher has picked up at least two hits in nine of his last 10 games.
• Cole Taylor is now over 50 hits in his career. 
• The Mules offense finished the regular season as the only team in the MIAA to hit above .300 (.335), have a slugging percentage above .500 (.530) and an on-base percentage above .400 (.410)
• Webb finished the regular season as the MIAA leader in batting average (.432), slugging percentage (.885), doubles (22), triples (5), home runs (17) and RBI (66). With his three doubles in this series he moved into the UCM all-time top five for career doubles (57).
• The last time UCM finished the MIAA season with fewer than 10 conference loss was in 2016 when they went 32-7.

Up Next
• The Mules will be the number one seed in this week's MIAA Tournament. They'll face a familiar opponent, Missouri Western, in their first round game Thursday, May 9 at 4 p.m. The 2019 MIAA Baseball Championship Tournament will be held in Pittsburg, Kan.