ST. LOUIS, MO. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday with a 7-4 setback to Southern Indiana in game one of a doubleheader, but came back to earn a 4-3 win in the nightcap with a walkoff fielder's choice USI error.
 
UMSL moves to 11-1 overall, including 6-1 in the GLVC, while Southern Indiana slips to 4-9 and 1-6 in the league. The two teams will play the finale in the series tomorrow with a single nine-inning game at 1 p.m.
 
GAME 1: Southern Indiana 8, UMSL 4 (7 innings)
Southern Indiana wasted no time getting on the board, scoring twice with two outs in the first inning, but the Tritons countered in the bottom of the frame with four runs on three hits, including a two-run single from sophomore Chris Mathes, who tallied his first RBIs of the season. UMSL also scored on a walk and a wild pitch for the 4-2 lead after just one inning.
 
However, the Screaming Eagles scored six unanswered, including three in the third inning for the final score.
 
Junior Kurt McGuire took the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits in two and one thirds of an inning, while striking out two and walking two. Senior Matt Meyer tossed four and one thirds of an inning in relief, allowing one run on just three hits, while striking out three. Meyer retired the first 11 batters he faced before a leadoff single in the seventh which led to Southern Indiana's final run of the game.
 
After recording three hits in the first inning, the Tritons offense was stalled by USI starter Tyler Nichols, who allowed just two additional hits by the home team.
 
Juniors Justin Busekrus and Dominic Orlando each tallied two hits.
 
GAME 2: UMSL 4, Southern Indiana 3 (9 innings)
Senior Daniel Seddon scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth after leading off with an infield single. He advanced to second on Busekrus' one-out single and then scored on senior Dylan Fieth's fielder choice as USI second baseman tried to throw Busekrus out at second, but botched the throw, allowing Seddon to come all the way home.
 
Seddon finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate as the Tritons were out-hit, 10-8.
 
Junior Austin Simokaitis earned the one-inning win, retiring all three batters he faced in the top of the ninth.
 
UMSL took advantage of two USI errors in the bottom of the fourth to erase the Screaming Eagles' 1-0 lead as senior JJ Kinnevan safely came home on Fieth's RBI fielder's choice.
 
Southern Indiana took the lead back in the fifth with an RBI double before Mathes tied it in the bottom of the eighth on Mathes' two-out RBI single. The Tritons left the bases loaded in that frame despite what appeared to be the go-ahead run after designated hitter John Michael Weaver was hit by the pitch. However, the umpire called him back saying he did not make enough of an effort to get out of the way.