MARION, Ill. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team rallied for a 6-4 win over UIndy on Thursday afternoon at Mtn Dew Field in Marion, Ill. The Tritons improve to 31-20 while the Greyhounds drop to 32-20.
UIndy, seeded third in the tournament, jumped out to the early lead with a run in the top half of the second as Brayton Bowen scored from third on a squeeze bunt down the third base line from Joey Humphrey.
UMSL, seeded second, scored the tying run in the bottom of the frame as
Justin Simard lined a double over the head of Luke Smock in left field that bounced over the wall allowing
Cade Grevengoed to score the tying run.
The Hounds retook the lead in the top of the third as Bowen hammered a two-run home run to deep right to make it 3-1.
The Tritons countered in the home half of the third as
Mitch Bonczkowski launched a two-run blast to left to the game at 3-3. It was Bonczkowski's 22nd home run of the season and RBIs 68 and 69.
UIndy retook the lead in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to left off the bat of Gavin Duran scoring Carter Thomas with the go-ahead run.
UMSL appeared to tie the game in its half of the seventh but Grevengoed was robbed of at least a double and possibly a home run as Smock made a leaping catch at the fence to keep the Greyhounds in front 4-3.
Dustin Hagens worked out of a jam in the eighth as UIndy had runners on the corner with one out but Hagens got the final two outs to keep it a one-run deficit.
The Tritons rallied in the home half of the frame. With one out,
Garrett Strenger hit a pinch hit single up the middle and went to third on a double down the right field line from Simard. After a pitching change,
LJ Randle hit a high chopper back to the mound and Drake Downing threw the ball over the head of first baseman Brayton Bowen allowing Strenger to score the tying run.
Justin Terhaar followed blooping a single down the right field line scoring Simard and Randle with the go-ahead runs.
Hagens closed it out as he set the Hounds down in order in the ninth for his fourth win of the season. He went 2.1 innings giving up no runs on one hit with a walk and five strikeouts.
UMSL outhit UIndy 12-5 in the contest and was led by Simard with three while Terhaar, Bonczkowski and
Owen Faith had two hits each.
The Tritons take on top-seeded Missouri S&T in a winner's bracket semifinal at 2 p.m. on Friday (May 8) at 2 p.m. at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Ill.
