St. Louis – The Maryville University baseball team opened the 2020 home schedule by earning a split with Minnesota State Friday afternoon at Weber Field. Cody Siebenberger threw a complete game with eight strikeouts to give the Saints a 2-1 win in the opener while the Mavericks rallied with four runs in the final two innings to earn a 9-6 victory in the nightcap.
 
Game One: 
The Saints scored the only two runs that they needed in the home half of the first inning as Dominic Connolly opened the frame with a single and scored as Ben Hopkins ripped a double down the left field line to give Maryville an early 1-0 lead. Austin Tapella stepped in next and drove Hopkins home with a single into right center field to put the Saints on top 2-0.
 
The Mavericks cut the lead in half in the fourth inning as they took advantage of three hits in the frame to make the score 2-1. Minnesota State had an opportunity to tie the game in the seventh as they moved a runner to third base with two outs, but Siebenberger recorded his eighth strikeout of the game to end the rally and secure the win for the Saints.
 
Winning Pitcher: Siebenberger (2-1)
Save: None
Losing Pitcher:  C. Kline (0-1)
Hitting leader: Hopkins – 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, run scored
                         Nick Guerra – 1-for-2, 2B
 
Game Two: 
The Mavericks wasted little time in the nightcap as they pushed a cross a run in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead. The Saints answered in the home half of the second as Guerra ripped his first homer of the year to even the game at 1-1.
 
Minnesota State regained the lead in the fourth with a three-run double down the right field line to go ahead 4-1. Maryville answered in the bottom of the frame as Alex Hoff drove in a run on a fielder's choice and Jackson Burrell plated another run on a groundout to cut the deficit to 4-3. The Mavericks added a run in the top of the fifth to extend the advantage to 5-3.
 
The Saints grabbed their only lead of the game in the seventh as Nick Hofmann opened the inning with a triple into the right center field gap and scored on a Hayden Thornton RBI single to cut the lead to 5-4. After Wyatt Elbe singled to place runners at first and second, Tapella drilled a double into left center to clear the bases and put Maryville ahead 6-5.
 
Minnesota State tied the game in the eighth with an RBI triple and took the lead in the ninth with three runs to earn a split for the day.
 
Winning Pitcher: H. Even (1-0)
Save: None
Losing Pitcher:  Hayden House (0-1)
Hitting leader: Guerra – 2-for-4, HR (1), RBI, run scored
                         Tapella – 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, run scored
 
Records:
Maryville – 4-3
Minnesota State – 1-1
 
Up Next: Maryville wraps up the four-game series with the Mavericks with a pair of games Saturday at Weber Field. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m.