The Muhlenberg baseball team opened Centennial Conference play with tightly played one-run games and a split against Gettysburg.
 
The Mules (10-9, 1-1 CC) hit two home runs and preserved its lead with strong efforts out of the bullpen to win the second game of the twinbill, 6-5, after being edged out in the first game, 3-2.
 
Senior Robbie Hopes hit the first long ball for Muhlenberg in the second inning, drilling a pitch deep over the left field fence for his first home run of the season. Sophomore Stephen Koester, who finished the game 3-for-3, provided a RBI double later in that inning before launching his first career home run in the fourth. His three-run shot, also to left field, gave Koester (pictured above) four runs batted in for the day and the Mules a 5-0 lead.
 
The Bullets (13-8-2, 1-1 CC) responded with three runs of their own in the fifth and another in the sixth to pull within one. Gettysburg got a potential tying run to second in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but freshman Ryan Kaverick pitched out of jams in the first two instances to keep Gettysburg at bay. Senior Christopher Bunero struck out consecutive batters after allowing a double to hold the Bullets in the eighth.
 
Senior Thomas Yohe added a key insurance run in the next half inning with a line drive single to left center that scored sophomore Bobby Merle from second.
 
Bunero stayed in to pitch the ninth and despite allowing his first earned run of the year on a sacrifice fly, he finished off the Bullets with his third strikeout.  He picked up his fourth save this season and the seventh of his career.
 
Junior Timmy Pilrun earned his first victory of the season, blanking Gettysburg through four innings and striking out five batters.
 
Muhlenberg scored both its runs in game one in the first inning. Sophomore Matt Riebesell collected his 18th RBI of the season on a groundout before Hopes lined a double to right center to plate sophomore Justin Revel.
 
Gettysburg picked away at Muhlenberg's lead with runs in the fifth and sixth, tying the game at 2-2. The Bullets eventually scored the winning run on an error in the ninth. The Mules got the tying run to second base in the bottom half of the frame before Gettysburg forced a groundout to end the game.
 
Junior Sam Kasten started on the mound in game one, pitching seven innings and recording nine strikeouts while allowing only five hits, one earned run and two walks.
 
Hopes and Yohe each finished with three hits over the doubleheader.