EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team snapped its four-game skid with its 5-2 win against Hillsdale on Saturday evening at Roy E. Lee Field at Simmons Baseball Complex in Edwardsville, Ill. The Tritons improve to 5-10 while the Chargers drop to 4-8.
UMSL got on the board first with a run in its first at bat.
Mitch Bonczkowski doubled into the left field corner with one out, went to third on a wild pitch and scored when
Brandon Johnson tried to get in a run down between first and second but the catcher's throw sailed into center field allowing Bonczkowski to trot home with the first run.
There were some missed opportunities for the Tritons leaving three runners on base in the first three innings before taking advantage of an error in the fourth.
Luke Saxton reached on an error by the third baseman with one out and scored on
Noah Tomaras' double into the left field corner to make it 2-0.
Later in the frame,
Justin Terhaar singled through the right side of the infield to score Tomaras from third.
Eli Cartwright, pitching on his birthday, was dominant through the first four innings striking out 10 hitters and allowing only one hit before running into trouble in the fifth giving up a run on a bases loaded walk to Nolan Coppens. Cartwright finished the game with a season-high 12 strikeouts and was two shy of tying the program's single game record.
Hillsdale crept closer with a run in the seventh on fielder's choice from Gaard Swenson that scored Billy Porotsky to make it 3-2. The Chargers had the tying run at third base with two out but they were left stranded as
Mitch Schleeper got Will Lehman to ground out to second to end the inning.
UMSL added a pair of insurance runs in its half of the seventh. Terhaar started the rally lining a triple into the gap in right center and he scored on Bonczkowski's fielder's choice to third. Johnson followed with a double to left scoring Bonczkowski all the way from first.
Schleeper worked a scoreless eighth and then
Dustin Hagens worked around a hit-by-pitch to start the ninth before retiring the final three hitters to lock down his second save of the season.
The Tritons had seven hits in the contest and were led by Terhaar with three while Bonczkowski, Johnson, Saxton and Tomaras had one each. Cartwright picked up the win to improve to 2-1 on the season.
UMSL and Hillsdale conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Roy E. Lee Field at Simmons Baseball Complex in Edwardsville, Ill., at approximately 4 p.m.