ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team overcame deficits of 6-0 and 12-9 to defeat Southwest Baptist 13-12 in the first of a four-game series on Friday night at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Mo. The Tritons improve to 12-13, 6-3 GLVC while the Bearcats are 12-13, 6-7 GLVC.
SBU struck first getting two-run home run to right center with one out in the first off the bat of Cooper Burgess. The Bearcats added four more in the second on a wild pitch with the bases loaded, a two-run single from Raydley Legito and an RBI double to center from Burgess.
UMSL answered with a big inning in the home half of the second. It sent 13 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on five hits and an error to take its first lead of the contest.
Cade Grevengoed got the Tritons on the board with a two-run home run to left center.
Justin Simard then singled, stole second and scored on a throwing error by second baseman Jared Pugard on what should have been the second out of the inning.
UMSL made that error as
LJ Randle walked and then with two out,
Mitch Bonczkowski was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Garrett Strenger hit a two-run single to right to make it 6-5 and then Grevengoed put the Tritons in front with a double to left off the glove of a diving Hayden Prewitt.
UMSL added a run in the third on an RBI single from
Justin Terhaar that scored
Ethan Landis.
SBU tied the game with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings but the Tritons retook the lead in their half of the fifth on an RBI groundout with the bases loaded from Bonczkowski.
The Bearcats rallied again scoring four runs on two hits and three walks in the inning to take a 12-9 lead.
The Tritons responded in the seventh as Strenger doubled to right scoring Terhaar to cut the lead to 12-10.
Jimi Oguntuase brought home the tying runs with a single to right center. UMSL had a chance to take the lead but left the bases loaded.
SBU threatened in the eighth putting two in scoring position with one out but
Garrett Brunstetter came out of the bullpen to strike out Pugard and Cameron Dean to keep the tied.
The Tritons got their first two hitters on in their half of the eighth thanks to a walk and a single. Back-to-back strikeouts threatened the rally before back-to-back walks to Oguntuase and Grevengoed brought home Randle with the go-ahead run.
Brunstetter came back out to close it out in the ninth. He struck out the first batter he faced before a walk put the tying run aboard. He got Legito to fly out to Randle in left for the second out. Brunstetter hit Burgess to put the go-ahead run on base. After a wild pitch put two in scoring position, Brunstetter retired Ryan Ray on a ground ball back to the mound for the final out of the game and earn his first victory of the year.
UMSL outhit the Bearcats 15-9 in the contest and was led by Terhaar with four hits while Strenger and Grevengoed had two apiece. Grevegoed drove in five runs in the contest while Strenger added three RBIs and Oguntuase chipped in with two RBI.
The Tritons and SBU continue their four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. at the UMSL Baseball Field.
