Mules Comeback Falls Short to Top Seeded Colorado Mesa

CARY, N.C. (June 3, 2019) - Central Missouri Mules Baseball (44-15) fell behind early and nearly made an epic comeback against top-seeded Colorado Mesa. Unfortunately for UCM, that comeback bid fell a run shy in their 6-5 loss to the Mavericks. The loss is the first for the Mules in the double-elimination tournament.

Play-by-Play
• Each team started the game getting a double play in the first inning. In the top half, Luke Lucas got a 6-4-3 ground ball double play to end the inning. 
• Mason Janvrin led off the home half of the inning with a single up the middle. A shallow pop fly from Alex Madera was caught in center field and Janvrin was caught in the middle of the basepath and doubled off first.
• The Mavericks didn't waste time in the second. Back-to-back singles and wild pitch put runners on second and third with nobody out. They got a pair of productive outs with sacrifice fly and a safety squeeze bunt to score two runs.
• They added another in the inning on an RBI single to left.
• One inning later, the Mavericks were back at it putting up a pair of runs. A single and a double down the left field line scored their first. It could have been a bigger inning if not for a double play which brought in a run and emptied the bases.
• The first scoring chance for the Mules came in the fourth. Madera's infield single and an error by the shortstop put two on with nobody out. After a bunt moved the runners up, Josh Schumacher's ground ball to first scored Madera with the Mules first run.
• Colorado Mesa got the run right back with a two-out rally in the fifth. With two outs and nobody on, a double down the left field line put a runner in scoring position. One batter later, he came around to score on a single up the middle.
• In the bottom of the fifth, UCM loaded the bases with nobody out. Donovan Ditto led off with a walk and Zak Whalin followed with a single.
• Micah Evans laid down a beautiful bunt and after being called out, video replay overturned the call to load the bases for the Mules.
• Central Missouri got two runs on outs to cut the lead in half, 6-3. Mason Janvrin's fielder's choice brought in Ditto and Madera scored Whalin with a sacrifice fly to left.
• An inning later, the Mules made it a one-run game, 6-5. Harrison Schnurbusch led off with a double and scored on Cole Taylor's two-bagger.
• With two outs, Zak Whalin punched one to center that fell just in front of the center fielder which allowed Taylor to score from second. 
• UCM threatened with two on and two out in the seventh, but the Mavericks escaped, getting a fly out to left to end the frame.
• That was the best chance the Mules had in the later innings as neither team scored the rest of the way with the bullpens shutdown the opposing offense for the final three innings. 

Mules Stat Leaders
• Zak Whalin picked up three hits in four at bats with a run scored and an RBI.
• Harrison Schnurbusch reached base twice with a double and scored a run.
• Cole Taylor also doubled, scored a run and had an RBI.
• Luke Lucas got the start and lasted five innings. He allowed six runs on 11 hits with a walk and strikeout, throwing 76 pitches.
• Bryce Kearns threw four innings of one-hit ball out of the bullpen without allowin a run and striking out two.
• Mason Janvrin and Alex Madera each had a hit and an RBI.

For the Mavericks
• Andrew Morris started on the mound and went the first 5.1 innings. He was charged with four runs (three earned) on six hits with a strikeout.
• Spencer Bramwell doubled twice and scored a run while driving in another.
• Dominic DeMarco and Caleb Farmer each had two hits and scored a run.
• Will Dixon earned the save throwing 2.1 scoreless innings allowing one hit and striking out four. 

News and Notes
• Colorado Mesa put the leadoff hitter on in each of the first three innings and had a runner on in each of the first five.
• Bryce Kearns hasn't allowed a run in nine innings pitched in the NCAA postseason.
• All nine in the Mavericks batting order had at least one hit. 
• The Mules fall to 6-7 when allowing more than five runs in a game and 15-10 when their opponent scores first.
• Both teams left seven runners on base and UCM was 3-10 with runners in scoring position.
• This is the first game the Mules have lost this season with Luke Lucas as the starting pitcher. 
• The two teams combined for just three hits in the final three innings. 

Quoteable
Coach Crookes
Opening Statement: It was a tough one. It stings, in terms of losing a game that we feel like we gave ourselves an opportunity to come back and win. There's some things I think we'd like to do better, from the early innings on. But hats off to Mesa. They were able to stem the tide when we had a little momentum going in the middle innings and keep us off the board in the seventh, eighth, and ninth. It's a tough one, but you expect that against a really good team. I'm proud of the way they [UCM] played. I'm proud of the way our guys went after it. We just came up a run short, a hit short and we'll regroup and get back after it for the game that we have on Wednesday.
On gathering the team after a loss: There's no sugarcoating a loss. They never feel good. There's things that we need to do better. This group has done a tremendous job of growing from where we started in August or during the season in February to where we are at now. I think it's not an easy conversation, but it's one that we know and are familiar with. I'll have to do a better job of maybe putting us in a better position to score a run, to create a better position so we don't have to rely on a two-out hit or a hit to score a run. We know the position we put ourselves in against a really good team in the second and third. We're confident in our ability to swing our way back into something and give ourselves a chance. But we also made some mistakes that make it tough against a really good team and they're going to punch you for it and that's what [Colorado] Mesa did. We'll talk about the mistakes we made. Make sure we're clear on them. The mistakes I made, I'll grow from them and do a little better for these guys so when we do get 10 hits that they are a little bit more meaningful and we get some more runs out of it. 
On the job from Luke Lucas and Bryce Kearns: I think Luke did a tremendous job of fighting with what he had. He got some double-play ground balls and those are always going to help limit the damage a little bit. We're always trying to stay out of the big inning, the three-run inning. He got a double-play, but you tip your hat, I think they got a couple of two-out hits to get the third run in the second inning and then did the same in the fifth. It was two outs, nobody on, they went double, single. I think Luke did a pretty good job of keeping the ball down. I'm not sure how sharp he was with is secondary stuff. I think that's why it started out the way it did. When you're playing a good team, and you help them a little bit, they don't need any help. I think we helped them there. I'm thought that Bryce did a great job of coming in and giving us a chance to create some momentum ourselves offensively. Bryce did a tremendous job of handling the zone with a couple of pitches, not just the fastball. Fastball was good, it had some life tonight. The breaking ball was good and I think he showed just enough of the change to make it tough for the lefties. Our pitchers have done a great job all year. Hits don't always score runs if you're not giving them any free bases with walks or hit-by-pitches. I think that both of those guys found their rhythms and were able to do that. We just gave up a little bit too much early on. 

Zak Whalin
On his success at the plate: I like to get my timing down in the on-deck circle. I sit on one pitch til I get it. Once I see it, it's the only thing I sit on until I get two strikes and then I get reactive. Mainly, I'm looking for a fastball and hopefully it's in a location where I can do something with it. Put it to the outfield or find a hole somewhere.
On hitting being contagious: It's been like that for us all year. Once one person gets a hit, the other person gets on base it is contagious. It's something that we've been familiar with all year and it's fun to be a part of. 

Harrison Schnurbusch
On the mood of the team down early: We're no stranger to comebacks. We've been here before. That was the mentality going into the last couple innings - just one at bat at a time, one hit at a time. We'll claw our way back. Unfortunately we got within one run and we just couldn't pull the rest out.
On building momentum towards the next game: We're going to take it for what it is. As coach said there's no way to sugar coat a loss. Just take it for what it is, learn from it, regroup tomorrow and get ready for Ashland. 

Up Next
• Central Missouri will now play an elimination game against their opening round opponent, Ashland, Wednesday, June 5 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT.