LIBERTY, MO. – After being held to 10 hits and two runs yesterday, the University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team exploded for 24 hits and 19 runs on Sunday in a sweep of William Jewell as the two teams closed out a four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference series.
 
Freshman Matt Foster was 5-for-8 at the plate with three RBIs, while seniors Justin Busekrus and Jose Ortiz added four hits each.
 
UMSL improves to 18-7 overall, including 4-4 in the GLVC, while William Jewell falls to 19-9 and 5-3 in the league.
 
The Tritons return to the field Wednesday to host Southern Indiana in a single non-conference contest before welcoming Quincy for a four-game GLVC series next weekend.
 
Game 1: UMSL 7, William Jewell 4
The Tritons rallied for the win with a four-run sixth inning, scoring two on freshman Tom DeCero's double and one on senior Justin Busekrus' RBI groundout. DeCero then scampered home on a wild pitch.
 
After having their bats silenced yesterday, the Tritons finished with nine hits and came to life early, using back-to-back hits in the first inning, including an RBI single from junior Tanner Hudson to score Busekrus for the 1-0 lead.
 
Hudson made it 2-0 in the third inning with a solo home run, while freshman Matt Foster drove in senior Dominic Orlando with an RBI single for a 3-0 advantage.
 
The lead, however, was quickly washed away in the bottom of the third as the Cardinals struck for four runs.
 
Senior Kyle Wilson picked up his second win of the week. He worked five innings in the start, allowing all four William Jewell runs on six hits, while striking out three and walking two. Senior Austin Simokaitis recorded his 10^th save of the season, retiring all three batters he faced.
 
Foster finished 3-for-3 at the plate, while Hudson added two hits and two RBIs as UMSL tallied nine hits.
 
Game 2: UMSL 12, William Jewell 9
The Tritons pounded out 15 hits in the capper and scored three times in the first and fourth innings and four times in the fifth inning.
 
Oritz recorded three hits, two RBIs and two runs, while Busekrus added three hits. Junior Nick Ulrey finished with two hits, three RBIs and two runs scored, while Foster added two hits and two RBIs.
 
Of their 15 hits, five were for extra base, including four doubles and a solo home run from Ulrey in the fifth inning that gave the Tritons a 7-6 lead they would not relinquish.
 
Junior Kevin Smith earned the win in relief, striking out a career-best 10 in seven and two-thirds of an inning. He allowed four runs on four hits while improving to 4-0 on the mound.