Normandy, Mo. – The Maryville baseball team closed out a series at the University of Missouri – St. Louis by dropping both ends of a Sunday twinbill. The Saints were on the short end of score lines of 5-3 and 7-6.
The Tritons opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with three solo home runs to take a 3-0, but the Saints answered in the top of the third as
Connor Markell drilled a double to right field to open the frame. Markell moved to third on a ground out and scored on a
Zack Ruckman RBI ground out to cut the UMSL lead to 3-1.
The Saints had an opportunity in the fifth inning as they loaded the bases with two-outs, but could not push a run across as the Tritons got
Danny Covert to fly out to right field to end the inning. UMSL plated a pair of insurance runs in the home half of the sixth inning to take a 5-1 lead. Maryville made things very interesting in the top of the seventh as
Louis Niemerg opened the inning with a double to right center field while
Tyler Catlett was hit by a pitch to put runner at first and second. Markell then singled to load the bases for
Camdon Mercier, who delivered a double to right field to score Niemerg and Catlett as it cut the deficit to 5-3 with no outs. The Tritons ended the Saints uprising with three straight fly outs to earn the victory.
Drake Kanallakan suffered the loss to fall to 1-2 on the year, going five innings and giving up three runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Mercier was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in while Markell and Niemerg added a pair of hits as well.
The nightcap turned into a pitcher's duel as neither team could muster a hit over the first three innings until the Tritons scored three runs on three hits in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. The game stayed that way until the Saints finally got on the board when Markell gave Maryville their first hit of the game with an RBI double that scored
Dalton Schumer, who walked, to cut the Tritons lead to 3-1. UMSL answered right back in the bottom of the seventh with two runs of their own to take a 5-1 lead.
The Saints got their bats going in the eighth inning as Mercier lifted a double down the left field line and moved to third on a Covert bunt single. Carriger then came to the plate and delivered his eighth home run of the year over the right field wall to get the Saints to within a run at 5-4, but the Tritons scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to 7-4.
Maryville battled back again in the top of the ninth inning as Markell opened the frame with a single to left and moved to second on a
Troy Payton single that put runners at first and second. Markell moved up 90 feet on a fly ball to right field and scored on a Ruckman ground out to cut the lead to 7-5. Covert then plated Payton with another single to right to get the Saints to within a run at 7-6, but the Tritons tight roped out of danger by getting Carriger to pop out to the shortstop to end the game.
Markell paced the Saints at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a run batted in and a run scored while Covert added a pair of hits and Carriger chipped in with three RBi's. Niemerg suffered the loss to fall to 1-2 on the season with 6.1 innings pitched with three strike outs while allowing five hits as the Saints dropped to 15-10 on the year and 2-2 in GLVC play.
The Saints return home to Weber field to take on GLVC foe Rockhurst in a four-game series set to begin on Saturday, April 1, with a doubleheader set to begin at noon.
