For the first time all season Northwest Missouri State hitters were held at bay as No. 2 Central Missouri shutout the Bearcats 5-0 to open a four-game MIAA series from Bearcat Field on Friday.

Northwest fell to 5-12 on the season and 4-5 in league play while the Mules improved to 13-1 overall and 7-1 in the MIAA. The Bearcats and Mules continue the conference series on Saturday with a double header from Bearcat Field starting at noon.

Both teams locked in a pitcher’s duel for the first two innings before UCM broke through with two runs in the top of the third inning.

Starter Chris Green went 5.1 innings scattering six hits and striking out two. Green ran into trouble allowing five walks as Bearcat pitchers walked seven on the day.

Mules’ starter Kurtis Schuyler was outstanding striking out 10 batters while only walking two through six innings.

Four errors haunted Northwest as well as the miscues accounted for three UCM runs.

The bullpen for the Bearcats was solid as Jacob Raffaele and Nathaniel Horton combined for 3.2 innings. Both pitchers were solid limiting UCM base runners as the Mules left 12 runners in the game.

Eric Swain went 1-for-4 extending his hitting streak to four games while Jake Kretzer also extending his hitting streak of five games. Kretzer finished 1-for-3 in the loss.

— NWMSU Sports Information —