(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The Central Missouri Mules split an MIAA doubleheader with Northwest Missouri on Sunday afternoon at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field.

The Mules won the opener 7-4 but fell 5-4 in the nightcap.

Northwest Missouri (6-8, 4-3 MIAA) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game one. Four hits and two hit batters in the inning gave the Bearcats the early lead.

The Mules (7-7, 3-4 MIAA) got on the board in the second when Jake Nickelson doubled in a run to make it 3-1.

Northwest Missouri got that run back in the third when Steven Garber came home on a double play.

The Mules pulled to within 4-3 in the fourth inning on Dusty Maas‘ two-run triple to the right field corner. UCM plated three more runs in the fifth to go in front 6-4. Matt Milner had an RBI single as did Jake Alexander and Bennett Oliver drew a bases loaded walk to force in another run.

The Mules added a single run in the sixth on another RBI single from Milner to make it 7-4.

Grant Gavin (1-0) picked up the win in relief, allowing one run on one hit in four innings. Trevor Ezell allowed two hits over the final two innings for his fifth save of the season.

The Bearcats jumped on top 1-0 in the second inning of game two. A UCM throwing error in the inning led to the NWMSU run.

The Mules got that run back in the bottom half when Tony Sandifer led off the inning with his second home run of the season.

The Bearcats went back in front in the fourth when three straight singles led to a pair of runs and a 3-1 NWMSU lead.

UCM answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half when Sandifer belted a two-run shot to left, his second home run of the game.

The Bearcats went right back in front in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Nick Howard, but UCM came right back to tie the game in the bottom half when Maas brought home Victor Brancato with a sacrifice bunt.

Northwest Missouri scored the go ahead run in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Garber. The Mules got a runner on the bottom half but couldn’t score and dropped the game 5-4. The Mules were held to just three hits in the loss.

Carson Smith (1-0) picked up the win in relief for NWMSU tossing two innings of no-hit ball. Trevor Ezell (0-1) took the loss for UCM after giving up one run on two hits without recording an out.