BOLIVAR, MO. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team needed some late-inning heroics in the nightcap to earn a doubleheader split with Southwest Baptist Saturday afternoon at Dodson Field in Bolivar, Mo. The Tritons dropped the opener to the Bearcats 13-5 before scoring a run in the top of the seventh to take the nightcap 4-3.
Game One – The Bearcats cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning as they scored three runs on three hits including a two-run homer to grab a 3-0 lead over the Tritons.
UMSL answered in the top of the fourth as Clayton Stephens opened the frame with a double and moved to third on a groundout to the first baseman. He came across to score as Logan Mantz hit into a groundout to the shortstop to cut the Bearcat lead to 3-1. SBU extended the lead in the home half of the fourth as the Bearcats took advantage of five walks to plate five runs to push their lead out to 8-1.
The Tritons added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth as Carson Holin opened the frame with a walk and moved to third after a Kameron Laskowski double to left field to put runners at second and third. Holin scored as Brandon Olion reached base on an error to make the score 8-2. Olion scored three batters later as Stephens lifted a sacrifice fly to cut the SBU advantage to 8-3. The Bearcats added to the lead in the bottom of the fifth with three more runs to extend their advantage to 11-3.
The Bearcats added a pair of insurance runs in the home half of the sixth to push the lead to 13-3. UMSL battled back in the top of the seventh as Mantz and Mitchell Green each drew bases-loaded walks to cut the lead to 13-5. The Tritons rally fell short as SBU forced a game-ending double play to preserve the win.
Winning Pitcher: Chase Wilson (1-1)
Losing Pitcher: Brady Krile (0-2)
Save: None
Hitting Leaders:
Stephens – 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, run scored
Holin – 2-for-2, run scored
Game Two – The Tritons raced out to an early lead in the top of the second inning as Holin and Mantz each hit one-out singles to place runners on first and second. Holin scored on an infield error and Mantz came home on a Bryce Kulinski double to put UMSL on top 2-0.
UMSL added to the lead in the top of the fourth as Brandon Pasley drew a one-out walk and came home on an Olion double to the left-center field gap to push the advantage to 3-0. The Bearcats drew even with the Tritons in the home half of the fifth as SBU scored three runs on five hits to even the score at 3-3.
The Tritons regained the lead in the top of the seventh as Olion opened the frame with a walk and moved to third on a single by Stephens. Green brought Olion home with a groundout to first as UMSL went back on top 4-3. Dylan Wobbe put the Bearcats down in order in the bottom of the seventh to earn his first win of the year.
Winning Pitcher: Wobbe (1-1)
Losing Pitcher: Matt Scott (1-3)
Save: None
Hitting Leaders:
Olion – 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, run scored
Stephens – 2-for-4
Records:
UMSL: 4-17, 3-4 GLVC
Southwest Baptist: 6-22, 1-6 GLVC
Up Next:
The Tritons and Bearcats wrap up their four-game series Sunday afternoon with the first pitch set for 1 p.m.
