CARTERSVILLE, GA. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team opened a four-game series against Illinois Springfield on Saturday with a split, winning the opener, 2-1, while the Prairie Stars took the nightcap, 5-0.
 
UMSL moves to 3-1 overall, while UIS is now 2-1.
 
The two teams close out their four-game series tomorrow with first pitch slated for 11 a.m. (EST).
 
GAME 1: UMSL 2, Illinois Springfield 1
A two-out two-RBI from freshman second baseman Matt Foster in the fourth inning proved to be the game-winner.
 
After seniors Justin Busekrus and JonMichael Weaver struck out to lead off the inning, junior Tanner Hudson and senior Dominic Orlando followed with back-to-back singles, while freshman Tom DeCero loaded the bases with a hit by pitch. Foster's hit then scored Hudson and Orlando.
 
The Prairie Stars had taken a 1-0 lead on a solo home run off Tritons starter Kurt McGuire in the second inning.
 
McGuire picked up the win, tossing six innings. He struck out five and surrendered five hits. Senior Austin Simokaitis collected his second save, striking out two and getting the third UIS batter he faced to groundout.
 
UMSL recorded five hits.
 
GAME 2: Illinois Springfield 5, UMSL 0
The Prairie Stars scored three first inning runs and never looked back en route to the victory, in which they outhit the Tritons, 9-5.
 
Junior Tanner Hudson accounted for three of UMSL's hits, while DeCero added a double.
 
Junior Zach Lindsay suffered the loss in seven innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits.
 
Illinois Springfield tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the ninth, scoring both with two outs after a Tritons error.