(BOLIVAR, Mo.) – The fifth-ranked Central Missouri Mules baseball team erupted for 41 runs and 43 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Truman State at Dodson Field on the campus of Southwest Baptist.
The Mules won the opener 17-2 before winning the nightcap 24-3. The 24 runs are the most during the Tom Myers era and the most since UCM scored 25 runs in a 25-0 win over Grand Valley State on March 12, 2005.
The Mules (11-1, 8-0 MIAA) jumped on the Bulldogs (2-8, 2-8 MIAA) early and often in game one scoring four runs in the first, four more in the second and seven runs in the third to open a 15-0 lead.
Brad Wilson had an RBI single in the first and Chase Graskewicz added a two-run single for the Mules. In the second inning, Kyle Grieshaber belted a three-run home run, his fifth of the season, to give UCM a 7-0 lead and Kevi Gratza added an RBI double to make it 8-0. UCM put up a seven spot in the third inning. Samuel Domingue started things off with an RBI single before Grieshaber added a sacrifice fly. Wilson doubled home another run before Gratza singled home his second run of the game. The big blow was a three-run home run for Tucker Cross, his second straight game with a homer.
Central Missouri added a single run in the fourth on Grieshaber’s fifth RBI of the game to make it 16-0.
Truman State got on the board with two runs in the sixth, but UCM got one back in the bottom of the inning on a Ben Cox RBI groundout to make it 17-2.
Marshall Dean (1-0) picked up the win for UCM after tossing 5.1 innings scattering eight hits and allowing two runs. He struck out two and didn’t walk a batter.
Logan Siegler (1-2) took the loss for Truman after giving up 15 runs on 14 hits in 2.2 innings.
The Bulldogs jumped on top in game two scoring a run in the top of the first on an RBI single by Paul Trenhaile. The Mules responded with a four spot in the bottom of the inning. Brad Wilson had an RBI single to tie the game and John Oropeza emptied the bases with a double to make it 4-1.
Truman pulled to within 4-2 in the third on an RBI single off the bat of Zak Larkin.
UCM put up four more runs in the fourth to open an 8-2 advantage. Samuel Domingue scored on an error by the leftfielder to open the scoring. Kyle Grieshaber added his sixth RBI of the day with a double to left center and Wilson and Oropeza added RBI singles as well.
The Mules exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to 17-2. Domingue had three RBI in the inning on two different at-bats. Wilson had a two-run single and Seth Wheeler had a bases-loaded double for three more runs in the inning.
The Mules tacked on seven more runs in the sixth, highlighted by Derek Cornell’s two-run double, to open a 24-2 lead.
Andrew Urban (2-0) got the win in relief for the Mules. He allowed two hits in 3.1 innings of relief with two strikeouts.
Jarrett Eiskina (0-2) took the loss for Truman State after giving up eight runs on 11 hits in four innings.
Wilson finished the day 6-for-7 with 8 RBI. Grieshaber drove in six runs, while Domingue and Oropeza each had four RBI.
The doubleheader sweep gives the Mules 82 straight wins over Truman State.