Mules Win Puts them in National Championship Game

CARY, N.C. (June 12, 2021) - It took almost 24 hours, but Central Missouri is back in the NCAA Championship for the fourth time in program history. After starting Friday evening and getting through 2.1 innings, play was suspended and picked up Saturday morning. UCM led 2-1 before play was paused and held on for a 3-1 win over 2019 champions Tampa, clinching their spot in the title game later this afternoon.

How it Happened
• The Mules outhit the Spartans 9-7 and four of UCM's hits went for extra bases.
• Tampa stranded 11 runners on base, hitting just 3-21 with runners on base and 0-10 with runners in scoring position. They put the leadoff batter on in five innings.
• The Mules did damage with two outs, getting two two-out RBI and were 6-13 with two outs.
• UCM was able to overcome so uncharacteristically poor defense as they committed a pair of errors and allowed an unearned run.
• Tampa put plenty of runners on base early. It started in the first inning as the first two batters of the game reached. Mason Green struck out the next two batters and got a ground out to end the inning.
• With two outs in the home half of the first, Central Missouri got on the board. With Josh Schumacher on first base, Garrett Pennington ripped a line drive double in the left-center field gap scoring Schumacher all the way from first.
• The Spartans again put two on in the second, helped out by an error, setting them up with second and third with one out. Jose Cadenas lofted a fly ball into left just deep enough to score the runner from third and the game was tied at one.
• It wasn't tied for long though. UCM answered in the bottom of the second, again with two outs. Harrison Schnurbusch reached with a single and Alex Madera won a long battle and on a 3-2 pitch laced a triple bringing in Schnurbusch with the go-ahead run.
• After Green got one out in the third, that's when the lightning came. Although there wasn't much rain, there was plenty of lightning and the game was delayed and then play suspended to Saturday.
• Things picked up Saturday morning with one out in the third inning. Tampa again got a pair of base runners on, but Green was up to the task squashing yet another Spartan threat.
• UCM looked to add to their lead in the third. Pennington and Donovan Ditto picked up a couple of two-out singles, but were left on first and third.
• Green continued working in and out of trouble as the Spartans put runners on in the fourth and fifth but couldn't score. Tampa stranded eight runners in the first five innings.
• The Mules tacked on a run in the sixth. With one out, Erik Webb hit a frozen rope that snuck over the wall in left for his 19th home run of the season. The ball with hit with a 105 mph exit velocity. 
• Mason Green got stronger as the game went along. He picked up his first 1-2-3 inning in the sixth and left a runner on base in the seventh, his final inning after 111 pitches. 

Mules Stat Leaders
• Mason Green gutted his way through seven innings over two days. He threw 111 pitches and allowed just an unearned run on five hits while striking out seven. 
• Erik Webb's only hit was a big one, a home run to make the lead 3-1.
• Garrett Pennington was 2-4 with a double and an RBI.
• Alex Madera picked up two hits including a triple and drove in a run.
• Harrison Schnurbusch and Josh Schumacher had a hit and a run. 

For the Spartans
• DJ Masuck was the opener pitching 1.2 innings and allowing two runs on four hits.
• Braydon Nelson threw the final 6.1 innings and allowed a run on five hits while striking out eight batters.
• JD Urso had two of the Spartans seven hits and scored a run.
• Jose Cadenas had a sacrifice fly and an RBI.

News and Notes
• Mason Green is now the single-season record holder for wins in a season picking up his 16th. He finishes his career 26-0, the most wins without a loss in school history. 
• In three career starts in Cary, Mason Green has struck out 27 batters.
• Erik Webb's home run in the sixth was the 100th in the history of the Division II Championships at Cary dating back to 2009. 
• Alex Madera's second-inning triple was his 10th of the season. He's the third Mule to ever hit 10 triples in a single season. 
• Micah Evans upped his reached base streak to 45 consecutive games.
• The Mules will now play for their third national championship in team history. It's their fourth appearance in the NCAA Championship, they are 2-1. 

Up Next
• With their win, the Mules will play for a National Championship in a single, winner-take-all game against nearby Wingate, the local team from North Carolina.