SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team won both games of its doubleheader against Drury 9-8 in nine innings and 7-4 to win the series at Mark Worley Field at Meador Park on Monday afternoon. The Tritons improve to 20-16, 10-10 GLVC while the Panthers drop to 19-17, 9-7 GLVC.
Game 1 – UMSL 9 Drury 8 (9 innings)
Drury jumped out on top in the home half of the first as Gabe Russell scored from third on a wild pitch on ball four to Hesston Gray.
UMSL tied the game in the second. With one out,
Mitch Bonczkowski doubled to right center and scored on a dropped pop up from Landon Willbrand that would've ended the inning.
The game remained that way until the sixth.
Cooper Blythe led off the inning with a single and was pinch run for by
LJ Randle. Randle advanced to second on a ground out from
Braedon Stoakes and went to third on
Barrett Rose's single to left. Bonczkowski brought home Randle with a two-out single to left to give the Tritons a 2-1 lead.
The Panthers tied it in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from Luke Matschiner.
Neither side scored in the seventh to send the game to extras.
UMSL retook the lead with two runs in the top of the eighth. With one out and runners on the corner
Cade Grevengoed hit a ground ball to short. Drury retired
Ayden Cline at second but couldn't complete the double play as Wyatt Morgan dropped the ball on the transfer allowing Rose to score.
Logan McIntyre made it 4-2 with a single to center scoring Grevengoed.
The Panthers got three straight singles to start the frame.
Cody Brooks struck out Cannon Stuckey for the first out and was ahead of Willbrand 0-2 but Willbrand hit the 0-2 pitch off a diving Rose at first and through the hole into right to tie the game at 4-4. The Tritons intentionally walked Kaden Byrne and Brooks got Morgan to hit into an inning ending double play.
UMSL sent 10 batters to the plate in the scoring five runs on five hits.
Dane Stevenson led off the inning with a triple down the right field line and scored on Randle's single up the middle. After a single from Stoakes put runners on the corner, Cline walked and Randle scored on a wild pitch. With the bases loaded, Grevengoed singled up the middle to bring home Stoakes and Cline to make it 8-4. After a groundout to first,
Garrett Strenger hit a single to left scoring Bonczkowski with the final run of the inning.
Drury wouldn't go quietly in its half of the ninth. With one on and two out the Panthers got a single from Gray and back-to-back walks to make the score 9-5.
Jacob Arndt came out of the bullpen and gave up a double to center to Willbrand that cleared the bases but Willbrand rounded second to hard and was thrown out at third to end the game.
The Tritons had 12 hits in the contest and were led by Bonczkowski and Grevengoed with two apiece. Brooks picked up the win in relief of
Zach Haygood, who pitched into the eighth, Brooks gave up two hits and had a strike out and a walk to improve to 5-1 on the season. Arndt got his second save.
Game 2 – UMSL 7 Drury 4
The Panthers jumped on top in the nightcap getting a solo home run from Jackson Crider to right two batters into the contest.
UMSL countered with three runs in the second with a ground out to short that scored Grevengoed and Stoakes reached on a three-base error by the right fielder that brought home Stevenson and
Brady Robertson.
Drury got an infield single with the bases loaded to cut the lead to 3-2 and then took the lead in the fourth on an RBI double from Russell and an RBI single from Wambach.
The Tritons retook the lead in the fifth. Robertson led off the inning with a walk and scored on Stoakes' two-run home run to right center. UMSL added an insurance run in the sixth as Strenger hit a sacrifice fly to center scoring Grevengoed and Randle hit a sacrifice fly to left scoring McIntyre in the seventh.
Triton pitching retired seven of the final eight hitters to seal the victory.
UMSL outhit the Panthers 9-7 in game two and were led by Grevengoed with three while Randle and Stoakes had two apiece.
Nate Kemp picked up his first win of the season tossing 1.1 of scoreless relief.
Will Johnson got the save retiring the side in order in the seventh with two strikeouts to pick up his first save of the season.
The Tritons wrap up their nine-game road trip on Tuesday heading to St. Joseph, Mo., to take on Missouri Western at 3 p.m.
