LIBERTY, MO. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team lost a pair of one-run games at William Jewell on Saturday as the two teams opened up a four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference series.
 
The Cardinals won the opener, 1-0, before rallying for a 3-2 win in the nightcap. The final games will be played tomorrow with another doubleheader slated for a 12 p.m. start.
 
UMSL slips to 16-7 overall, including 2-4 in the GLVC, while William Jewell improves to 19-7 and 5-1 in the league, maintaining its hold atop the West Division standings.
 
The Tritons were outhit, 22-10, on the day.
 
Game 1: William Jewell 1, UMSL 0
A second inning sac fly was all the host Cardinals needed as William Jewell ace Austin Kretchmar tossed the complete game three-hit shutout.
 
Kretchmar issued just one walk, a lead off to senior Jose Ortiz in the top of the ninth. Ortiz was sacrificed to second and advanced to third on a groundout, but was left stranded to end the game.
 
Senior Kurt McGuire suffered the loss, allowing the one run on seven hits in seven and two-thirds of an inning. He struck out a season-best seven and walked two.
 
Freshman Tom DeCero had a double for the Tritons, while seniors Justin Busekrus and JonMichael Weaver each had a single.
 
Game 2: William Jewell 3, UMSL 2
William Jewell scored three unanswered to rally from a 2-0 deficit to garner the win, scoring the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh with a one-out, bases loaded RBI single.
 
Back-to-back singles from juniors Tanner Hudson and Nick Ulrey in the third inning sparked UMSL to a 2-0 lead, but the Cardinals countered in the bottom off the frame.
 
Hudson finished 3-for-3 at the plate for the Tritons, which recorded seven hits in the game.
 
Junior Jake Renfrow scattered 13 hits in six and two-thirds of an inning in the loss. All three runs were charged to Renfrow, who struck out two and walked two.