EDMOND, Okla. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team picked up its first win of the 2026 season defeating Central Oklahoma 12-1 in seven innings in the Edmond First Pitch Classic at Wendell Simmons Field on Saturday afternoon in Edmond, Okla. The Tritons improve to 1-2 while the Bronchos drop to 2-2.

UMSL's offense came out swinging in the second inning scoring eight runs on eight hits to take an 8-0 lead after an inning and a half. The Tritons' first four batters of the inning reached safely as Mitch Bonczkowski, Cade Grevengoed, Garrett Strenger and Ayden Cline each singled. Cline's single through the left side of the infield drove in Bonczkowski and Grevengoed with the first two runs of the game.

Ethan Landis hit a two-out single to right scoring Strenger and Justin Terhaar followed with a single up the middle plating Cline to make it 4-0. Owen Faith kept the inning going with an RBI single to left and Bonczkowski capped the inning hitting a three-run home run to left center.

UMSL added another run in the third as Strenger scored on a wild pitch. Faith hit a two-run home run in the fourth to make it 11-0 and Terhaar capped the scoring with an RBI single to left center in the fifth.

UCO's lone run came in the seventh on a groundout to short.

The Tritons finished with 14 hits in the contest and were led by Terhaar, Bonczkowski, Faith and Strenger with two apiece. Bonczkowski and Faith drove in three runs each. Eli Cartwright picked up the win throwing 5.2 shutout innings giving up seven hits with eighth strikeouts and three walks to earn his first win at UMSL. Bryce Stenzel pitched the final 1.1 giving up a run on a hit with a strikeout.

The Tritons head to Shawnee, Okla., on Sunday afternoon to take on Oklahoma Baptist at 2 p.m. Bobby Cox Field at Ford Park.