WARRENSBURG, Mo. (May 13, 2021) - Central Missouri came out victorious in a pitcher's duel Thursday afternoon in game one of the opening round best-of-three series in the MIAA Tournament. The Mules scored three early and held on for a 3-2 win over the No. 8 seed Emporia State Hornets.

How it Happened
• All five runs were scored in the first four innings and the zeroes the rest of the way.
• Both teams had the chance to add more with the Hornets leaving nine men on base and the Mules seven.
• Each team allowed an unearned run as the Hornets committed two errors and the Mules one.
• Emporia State outhit the Mules 8-7. They also knocked three doubles while the Mules only extra base hits were a double and a triple.
• After Mason Green worked a 1-2-3 first inning, the Mules gave him the lead in the bottom of the inning. Cole Taylor lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Josh Schumacher who led off the inning with an infield single.
• ESU then grabbed the lead with a run in both the third and fourth innings. A two-out RBI double from Cooper Minnick tied the game in the third. Another two-out RBI, this time a bunt single scored an unearned run from third in the fourth after the Hornets led off the inning reaching on an error.  
• The Mules had a chance to to add more in the third inning, getting the first two on, but they failed to score stranding a pair.
• UCM took the lead back in the fourth. A two-out RBI triple from Schumacher scored Donovan Ditto to tie the game. One batter later, Schumacher came in to score as the throw on Erik Webb's ground ball was unable to scooped up at first base.
• Both teams left runners on base, failing to score. The Hornets had their best opportunity to tie or take the lead in the eighth. They put the go-ahead run on base with one out. A hard ground ball though skipped off the foot of the baserunner at second forcing him out for out number two. The Christian Roduner then beat out an infield single, but Cole Taylor spotted Sam Chaput trying to score from second and easily threw him out at home to end the inning. 
• Evan Rathburn allowed a one-out walk in the ninth, but got a pair of pop outs to end the game with the tying run on first base.

Mules Stat Leaders
• Mason Green threw the first six innings allowing two runs, one earned on three hits with six strikeouts.
• Josh Schumacher was 2-4 with a triple, RBI and a run scored.
• Donovan Ditto picked up a pair of singles and a run in three at bats.
• Erik Webb singled and scored.
• Chase Plymell made like Houdini pitching one inning and allowing four hits but no runs. 

For the Hornets
• Jake Barton tossed an eight-inning complete game allowing three runs, two earned on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
• Javier Pena was 2-4 with a double.
• Cooper Minnick doubled and drove in a run. 
• Brigham Mooney singled, scored and drove in a run.

News and Notes
• Erik Webb tied the Mules career hits record picking up career hit number 312.
• Mason Green won his 23rd career game, moving to seventh all-time at UCM.
• Evan Rathburn earned his eighth save of the season and 12th of his career, making his way into the top-10 at UCM in each.
• For the 24th time in 41 games, the Mules scored in the first inning. They're 23-1 when scoring in the first.
• UCM is now 4-2 in one-run games this season.
• Of the Mules 24 outs at the plate, 17 were fly outs. 

Up Next
• Game two of the best-of-three series has been moved up to a 12 p.m. first pitch tomorrow afternoon against the Hornets.