ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team held off a late rally from Lewis to win the series finale 9-5 to take three out of four in the series and finish its homestand with a 7-6 record. The Tritons improve to 12-9, 4-4 GLVC while the Flyers fall to 8-11, 3-5 GLVC.
UMSL took the early lead with two runs on two hits and an error in the second inning.
Logan McIntyre led off the inning with a double into the right field corner.
Mitchell Green worked a walk and
Andrew Buescher advanced both runners with a sac bunt to the pitcher.
Cooper Blythe was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With one out,
Jake Isaacs was retired on an infield fly to third but
Dane Stevenson came through with a two-out hit. Stevenson hit a ball behind the bag at second that Patrick Keaty fielded. Keaty's throw to first wasn't in time allowing McIntyre to score and the throw bounced past Chris McDevitt at first which allowed Green to score on the error.
Lewis got a run back in the third on Jason Krol's single past McIntyre at third scoring Mikey Kocen.
The Tritons added two in the third as
Andrew Buescher singled past Thomas Fox at second to bring home McIntyre and
Garrett Strenger. UMSL added two more in the fourth as
Braedon Stoakes drove in Isaacs with a sacrifice fly to left and Stevenson scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-1.
The score remained that way until the seventh when the Flyers sent nine batters to the plate scoring four runs on three hits and an error. Angelo Cantelo drove in the first two runs hitting a one out double down the left field line scoring McDevitt and Krol to make it 6-3. Keaty followed with a double over Blythe's head in right to make it a one-run contest.
Brady Krile entered the game with one out and the go-ahead run at first then proceeded to strike out Fox and Kocen to preserve the 6-5 lead.
UMSL added two insurance runs in the seventh thanks to a two-out rally. Stevenson started it with a walk, stole second and scored on Stoakes' single to left center.
Barrett Rose then doubled over George Bilecki's head in center scoring Stoakes from first to make it 8-5.
The Tritons final run came in the eighth as Stevenson walked with the bases loaded to bring home Buescher.
UMSL finished with 15 hits in the contest and was led by Rose with three hits while Stevenson, Stoakes, Strenger and McIntyre had two hits apiece.
Garrett Brunstetter picked up the win pitching a season-high 6.1 innings allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits with six punchouts to even his record at 2-2. Krile sent down all eight hitters he faced to notch his first save of the year.
The Tritons begin an eight-game roadtrip next Friday traveling to Kirksville, Mo., to take on Truman State at 3 p.m. at Bulldog Baseball Park.
