ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team dropped its home opener to Missouri S&T, 8-2 at the UMSL Baseball Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Tritons fall to 4-8 while the Miners improve to 5-1.
S&T took advantage of an UMSL error scoring two runs in the second inning to take the early lead.
The Tritons were held hitless until
Justin Terhaar broke up the no-hit bid with a single up the middle advancing
Cooper Blythe to third for
Mitch Bonczkowski. Bonczkowski brought home Blythe with the first UMSL run with a single down the left field line.
The Tritons had a chance to tie or take the lead but both
Owen Faith and
Ethan Landis flew out to end the inning.
S&T extended its lead with two more unearned runs in the sixth as Scott Thompson reached on an error scoring Will Muench and then later in the inning, Thompson scored on a single to shallow center off the bat of Keaton Scott.
The Miners' fifth run came on the Tritons third error of the contest in the seventh inning to make it 5-1.
UMSL rallied in the eighth getting an RBI pinch hit single from
Ayden Cline to make it 5-2 and then
Garrett Strenger drew a walk on four pitches to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. S&T made a pitching change and Ethan Payne got
Brady Robertson to hit into an inning ending 4-6-3 double play.
The Miners added three insurances runs in the ninth as Will Beckham hit a sacrifice fly to right scoring Drew Baugus and then Garrett Meyer hit a two-run home run to left for the final margin.
The Tritons got back-to-back two out singles from Terhaar and Bonczkowski in the last of the ninth but a groundout to short ended the game.
UMSL was held to five hits in the contest with Terhaar and Bonczkowski recording two apiece.
Brandon Johnson made his first start on the mound for the Tritons and gave up two unearned runs on five hits with three strikeouts against a walk in five innings pitched to take the loss.
UMSL continues its nine-game homestand next Wednesday (March 4) hosting Davenport at 2 p.m. at the UMSL Baseball Field.
