CLAREMORE, Okla. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team dropped both ends of its doubleheader at Rogers State on Saturday afternoon. The Hillcats (8-1) won the opener 7-2 and the nightcap 8-3.
Game 1 – Rogers State 7 UMSL 2
UMSL (2-5) fell behind early giving up four runs in the home half of the first. Jhonmy Martinez had the big hit in the inning with a two-run single. Three of the four runs the Hillcats scored in the inning were unearned.
RSU extended its lead with two more runs in the fourth on a double down the right field line from Gavin Mestas that scored Jake Mitchell and then Prescott Horn singled in Mestas to make it 6-0.
The Hillcats scored again in the sixth as Jesse Holguin drove in AJ Folds with a sacrifice fly to left.
The Tritons got on the board in the seven as
Justin Simard doubled down the right field line to drive in
Bryce Kulinski and
Leighton Keller.
UMSL was held to four hits in the contest with
Brandon Olion contributing two of them.
Nick Torres took the loss allowing six runs, three earned, on five hits with three strikeouts against five walks to fall to 0-1 on the season.
Game 2 – Rogers State 8 UMSL 3
The Tritons jumped out to an early lead in the nightcap with a pair of runs in the first.
Andrew Buescher drove in the first run with a groundout to short bringing in
Braedon Stoakes. Later in the inning, Olion scored on a wild pitch for the second run.
RSU tied the game in the bottom of the frame as Folds scored the first run on a throwing error by Kulinski on a pick-off attempt at third and then Mestas scored on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded.
The Hillcats took the lead with a run in the second on Holguin's single to third scoring Mitchell and then added to their lead with two in the fourth. Joel Escalante scored on a wild pitch and then Martinez drove in a run with a bases loaded walk.
RSU added three more in the fifth as Mestas and Horn each scored on wild pitches while Holquin scored on Escalante's single through the left side of the infield.
UMSL got a run back in the eighth as Kulinski scored on a balk.
The Tritons outhit the Hillcats 9-8 in the nightcap and were led by Olion, Kulinski and
Jake Isaacs with two hits apiece.
Ryan Berry took the loss allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits with a pair of strikeouts but walked four in an inning-plus of work.
UMSL and RSU wrap up its four-game series with a single game on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
