(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The eighth-ranked Central Missouri Mules pounded out 26 hits and swept a doubleheader from Emporia State on Sunday afternoon at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. The Mules rallied with five runs in the sixth to win game one 7-3 before taking the nightcap 6-1.
The Hornets (27-19, 24-16 MIAA) jumped on top 2-0 in the first inning of game one on a Todd Reller double to deep right. Emporia State added a single run in the fourth on a Luke Slagle sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. The Mules (33-9, 27-8 MIAA) got one run back in the bottom of the frame when John Oropeza led off with a home run, his fourth of the season.
Central Missouri got another run back in the fifth when Kyle Grieshaber singled home Samuel Domingue to pull within one at 3-2. The big inning came in the sixth when UCM scored five times to take a 7-3 lead. Domingue singled home Barrett Noirfalise and Jon Cotter to put UCM in front 4-3 and Brad Wilson doubled home two more runs to make it 6-3. Wilson later scored on a Kevin Gratza single to right for the 7-3 final.
Andrew Urban (4-2) picked up the win in relief tossing 2.2 innings of hitless relief. Keith Picht (3-4) took the loss for ESU after giving up five runs on four hits in one inning of relief.
Game two started off as a pitchers dueled through the first three innings. In the fourth, however, UCM struck for two runs to take the early lead. Grieshaber and Wilson started off the inning with back-to-back doubles to plate one run and Gratza added another RBI single.
The Mules tacked on four more runs in the sixth for a 6-0 lead. Chase Graskewicz plated Gratza with an RBI double to make it 3-0. Domingue added an RBI on an infield single and Trevor Jones singled home another run to make it 5-0 and Grieshaber’s double brought home the sixth run of the game for UCM.
The Hornets scored a single run in the eighth on Todd Schultz’s RBI single to centerfield, but that is all they would get.
Dany Coulombe (4-0) earned the win in relief for UCM giving up one run on two hits in 3.2 innings. Devon Brogan pitched an inning of relief and Urban came on to get the final two outs of the game.
Shawn Talkington (4-5) took the loss for Emporia State after giving up two runs on five hits in four innings.
Domingue went 5-for-7 on the day with three RBI, while Jones and Gratza each finished with four hits.
The series wraps up Monday night with a single nine-inning game. First pitch from Crane Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game can be heard live on 98.5 The Bar and warrensburgradio.com with Bob Jackson and Bill Turnage on the call.