Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team rallied for a pair of victories over Wheeling Jesuit at the RussMatt Central Florida Tournament on Thursday.

The Tritons posted a 7-4 win in the opener to record their first victory of the season before taking game two, 7-6.
 
GAME 1 – UMSL 7, Wheeling Jesuit 4
Senior John Pilackas got the Tritons on the board in the bottom of the second inning after leading off the frame with a walk. He advanced to second after the Cardinals issued another walk to junior Michael Budka and reached third on a failed pickoff attempt. Senior Drew Standefer then grounded into a double play, but it was enough to get Pilackas across the plate.
 
Wheeling Jesuit took a 2-1 lead in the top of third, using three hits to score twice, before UMSL knotted the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from senior Trevor Nathanson, which scored junior Justin Lois, who led off with a single of his own.
 
Another pair of hits in the fifth inning for the Cardinals put Wheeling Jesuit back on top, 4-2, before five unanswered runs by the Tritons gave UMSL the game one victory.
 
A passed by Cardinals catcher Patrick Biega allowed senior Lucas Matecki to score with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Matecki led off the inning with a single.
 
Budka tied it in the sixth with the Tritons' first homerun of the season before UMSL followed with three runs for the win. Junior Tyler Bunge singled to score Standefer, while Mohr followed with a two-run double.
 
Bunge recorded three of UMSL's nine hits, while junior Jonathan Rosario recorded the win on the mound in one and one-thirds of an inning.

 
GAME 2 – UMSL 6, Wheeling Jesuit 5
The Tritons scored six runs in the fifth inning – all with two outs – to rally from a 5-0 deficit to complete the sweep.
 
Lois brought in the first run on a hit by pitch, which was the second straight by the Cardinals, who also hit junior Paul Richmond to load the bases. Senior Nolan Craig then reached on an error, which allowed two runs to score, while senior Charlie Mohr delivered a three-run homer.
 
Junior Nolan Clayton picked up the win, working two-thirds of an inning in relief, while senior Kyle Renaud posted the save.
 
Mohr and Craig tallied two hits each as UMSL recorded six, while the Cardinals registered nine.
 
UMSL (2-2) returns to the field tomorrow in a single game against Wayne State (Neb.) College at 1:00 p.m. (EST).