ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team opened its four-game series with a doubleheader sweep of Kentucky Wesleyan on Sunday at Panther Park in Owensboro, Ky. The Tritons (3-3) won the opener 4-1 and the nightcap 7-2.
Game 1 – UMSL 4 Kentucky Wesleyan 1
The Tritons jumped on top in the third.
Braedon Stoakes led off the inning hitting a 3-2 pitch over the fence in right center for his second home run of the season. Later in the inning
Barrett Rose drew a bases loaded walk to bring home
Logan McIntyre.
UMSL added to its lead in the fourth. With runners on the corner and one out
Zach Beatty stole second and
Justin Simard scored from third when the catcher's throw went into center field to make it 3-0.
The Panthers (0-5) got one of those runs back in the fifth. With two out, Cade Moore doubled to right center and scored on Nick Wimber's single to left.
The Tritons regained their three-run lead in the top of the seventh. With one out, Beatty walked and scored on McIntyre's double to left center.
Jacob Arndt pitched out of a jam in the ninth striking out the tying run to end the game and earn the three inning save.
UMSL had four hits in the contest and was led by McIntyre with a pair.
Garrett Brunstetter picked up the victory giving up one run on three hits with nine strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched.
Game 2 – UMSL 7 Kentucky Wesleyan 2
In the nightcap the Tritons got on the board first scoring a pair of runs in the second.
Cameron Hailstone drove in
Logan Mantz with the first run with a sacrifice fly to right. With two out,
Garrett Strenger singled to left and scored on Simard's double to right.
KWC tied the game in the bottom of the frame. Tate VanHooser doubled to right to drive in Braxton French with the first run. Noah Davis drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to right.
UMSL retook the lead in the third. Stoakes led off the inning with a walk, stole second and scored on McIntyre's one out single to center.
The Tritons added some insurance in the sixth.
Andrew Buescher led off the inning with a home run to right to make it 4-2. Mantz was hit by a pitch and Beatty reached on an infield single. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third. With one out, Strenger drove in both runs with a double down the left field line.
UMSL's final run came in the seventh.
Dane Stevenson scored when Beatty reached on an error by the second baseman.
That was all the run support that
RJ Elmore needed as he went the distance allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts to improve to 1-0 on the season.
The Tritons outhit the Panthers 10-5 in the nightcap and were led by McIntyre, Beatty and Strenger with two hits each.
UMSL and Ky. Wesleyan conclude its four-game series with another doubleheader at Panther Park starting at 11 a.m.
