SHAWNEE, Okla. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team rallied from a 6-0 deficit to defeat Oklahoma Baptist 16-8 and earned a split in its two-game series at Bobby Fox Cox Field at Ford Park on Monday afternoon in Shawnee, Okla. The Tritons move to 2-3 while the Bison fall to 1-3.

OBU jumped out to the early lead scoring four runs on three hits and took advantage of two UMSL errors in the opening frame. The Bison added two more runs in the second on an RBI single from Tui Amosa and an RBI double from Alex Sanchez.

The Triton bats were held silent until the fifth inning. They loaded the bases with two out, Garrett Strenger worked a walk scoring Justin Simard. Ayden Cline followed with a three-run double to center bringing home Justin Terhaar, Mitch Bonczkowski and Strenger to cut the deficit to 6-4.

UMSL took the lead in the seventh scoring three runs on two hits. Strenger drove in his second run of the contest with a sacrifice fly to center scoring Terhaar to make it 6-5. Cline followed with a game-tying single to right and Bennett Cagle drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to right.

The Tritons added some insurance scoring five runs in the eighth highlighted by Luke Saxton's three-run double down the left field line. Bonczkowski and Cagle also drove in a run in the frame.

The Bison got two of those runs back in their half of the eighth on a two-run home run off the bat of Amosa.

UMSL tacked on four more in the ninth as Bonczkowski drove in Owen Faith with a single to short and Cline hit a three-run home run to left center.

The Tritons had 10 hits in the contest and was led by Terhaar and Cline with three hits each while Cline drove in a career-high seven RBIs. Bonczkowski added two hits and two RBI.

UMSL's relief corps of Alex Karson, Bryce Stenzel, Gavin Kinworthy, Trey Schneider and Matt Devoy held OBU to two runs over the final seven innings. Karson and Stenzel each threw two innings of scoreless relief. Stenzel (1-0) gave up one hit and struck out five in his outing to earn his first win as a Triton.

UMSL heads back to the Sooner State on Saturday taking on Rogers State in a doubleheader starting at noon at the RCB Bank Sports Complex in Claremore, Okla.