WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 16, 2020) - Central Missouri rode their pitching staff to a doubleheader sweep Sunday afternoon against the University of Mary. The Mules allowed just six runs and struck out 31 Marauder batters. The sweep gave the Mules a 3-1 series win and put them at 8-3 on the year.
Game One - Central Missouri 7, Mary 4 (7 Innings)
How it Happened
• The Mules were out-hit 9-7.
• Each team committed two errors.
• Both teams left a ton of runners on base, the Marauders 10 and the Mules nine.
• UCM pitcher's struck out 13 of 21 outs.
• The game started with
Collin Jones striking out the side in the first. That started off a career day for Jones who fanned 11.
• UCM got on the board with two in the first without a hit. Two walks and an error brought in the first two runs of the game.
• Central Missouri added to their lead with three in the fifth.
Dusty Stroup and
Cole Taylor had RBI extra-base hits on back-to-back pitchers and
Harrison Schnurbusch's fly ball made it 5-0.
• Two innings later, the combination of Stroup and Taylor were at it again. Stroup led off with a double and Taylor drove him in with a single for a 6-0 Mule lead.
• The six-run lead shrunk to just four in the sixth. A three-run triple and a wild pitch brought in four runs, making it a 6-4 game.
Chase Plymell got a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the inning.
• UCM got one of the runs back in the home-half of the sixth.
Josh Schumacher made a crazy trip around he bases. He struck out but reached first on a passed ball. After getting in a run down on a stolen base attempt, snuck under the tag and safely made it to second. He then moved to third and scored on two wild pitches to get us to the 7-4 final.
Mules Stat Leaders
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Collin Jones got the win pitching the first 5.2 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits with 11 strikeouts.
• UCM had some trouble getting through the six, but
Chase Plymell got the final four outs with two strikeouts.
•
Cole Taylor drove in a pair of runs and reached base three times with two hits and a walk.
•
Dusty Stroup scored twice and picked up two extra-base hits.
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Alex Madera added two hits and
Josh Schumacher scored twice.
For the Marauders
• Calvin James drove in three runs with a triple in the sixth and finished 2-4.
• Brandon Schultz and Jaxon Ford also picked up two hits.
• Mitch Oehme lasted just 1.1 innings as the starter. He allowed two runs, one earned.
• Parker McRae gave up three runs and five hits in 2.2 innings in relief.
Game Two - Central Missouri 3, Mary 2
• Mary held a lead through much of the early going in game two before the Mules were able to manufacture a pair of runs to take the lead.
• Again, Mary out-hit the Mules in this one, 8-5.
• Mule pitchers struck out 18 Marauders and left eight on base.
• UCM again started early scoring in the first.
Michael Sinks' two-out RBI single plated
Alex Madera who singled and stole second.
• That was all the scoring for UCM until the sixth. A half inning later, Mary took the lead scoring twice in the second. With two outs, a strikeout-wild pitch kept the inning going and put runners on the corners. Mary sent the runner from first and on the throw down to second, the ball was knocked loose from second baseman
Donovan Ditto allowing the tying run to score. A two-out single gave the Marauders another run and a 2-1 lead.
• The Mules had chances but couldn't break through against Mary starter Paxton Thompson. They left two on in the third, then got the first two on in the fifth. With one out, Madera's line drive was caught in center who ran all the in way to touch second and double up
John Raybourn who was running on the pitch.
• UCM finally got back on the board in the sixth, playing station-to-station baseball. Webb led off getting hit by a pitch, stole second, advanced to third on Sinks' deep fly ball and scored the tying run on a wild pitch. It was a similar situation for the go-ahead run a few batters later.
Dusty Stroup singled, moved to second on a ground ball, stole third and scored on a wild pitch.
• Mary put runners on in each of the final three innings, but the Mules bullpen and defense was up to the task. With the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Stroup started a 5-5-3 double play to end the inning.
• Then in the ninth, Mary led off with a single, but that was quickly erased on another double play started by Stroup, this time going 5-4-3 to preserve the win.
Mules Stat Leaders
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Jonathan Sprinkle started and went four innings allowing two runs on three hits with eight strikeouts.
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Tyler Kuhlmann got the win in relief pitching three scoreless innings and striking out seven.
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Michael Sinks reached base twice with a hit and and walk and drove in a run.
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Dusty Stroup and
Alex Madera each had a hit and a run.
For the Marauders
• Paxton Thompson threw the first 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on five hits.
• Paxton Miller threw 2.1 hitless innings in relief.
• Mason Huntley picked up two hits and an RBI.
• Jaxon Kostka and Quentin Evers were 1-4 with a run scored.
News and Notes
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Collin Jones' 11 strikeouts are a career-high.
• Eleven strikeouts are a season high for a Mules pitcher this season.
• The last time the Mules struck out 18 or more batters came in March of 2015 against Missouri Southern.Â
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Harrison Babbitt made his first career appearance for the Mules, striking out two in a clean inning of work.
• Mule pitchers stuck out 51 batters in the four-game series.Â
• UCM stole seven bases in two games.
•
Cole Taylor picked up his 50th career RBI.
Up Next
• The Mules are home once again next weekend for the three-game set with Concordia-St. Paul. Saturday will feature a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
