HOUSTON – Two, four-run innings helped the second-ranked University of Central Missouri Mules Baseball team secure a 10-6 victory over the Rollins College Tars in the 2026 season-opener for both teams on Friday, Jan. 30, inside Daikin Park in downtown Houston, Texas.
The Mules (1-0) are slated to face preseason No. 10-ranked North Greenville (1-0) on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 1:30 p.m. on day two of the Houston Winter Invitational.
The Tars (0-1) led, 3-2, before Central Missouri scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Brock Kobel scored
Grant Hollister on an RBI single through the right side, prior to
Drew Veatch driving in a run with an RBI infield single, and Kobel crossing home plate on an error, giving UCM the 5-3 advantage.
Collin Dobson capped the inning with a single to left field that drove in Veatch, making it 6-3, Mules.
Central Missouri ballooned its lead to 10-3 after tacking on another four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kobel and
Evan Vienhage delivered back-to-back sacrifice flies for the opening two runs of the inning before
Cole Young belted a two-run single through the left side, scoring Veatch and
Michael Smosna for UCM's ninth and 10th runs of the game.
Rollins trimmed the Central Missouri lead to 10-6 with three runs in the top of the seventh, but that was as close as they'd get the remainder of the game.
Hollister went 3-for-4 with two runs, a double, and an RBI. Vienhage was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Young was 1-for-1 with a run and two RBI, and Kobel drove in a pair of runs, pacing the Mules at the plate.
UCM relief pitcher
Cale Willson (1-0) picked up the victory on the mound after giving up one earned run on zero hits with a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings.
Rollins reliever JR Struk (0-1) suffered the setback on the rubber, allowing four runs – three earned – on four hits in 1 1/3 innings of work.
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