St. Louis – Wyatt Elbe drove in five runs in the opening game of the day to help the Maryville baseball team to a split with Minnesota State Saturday afternoon at Weber Field. The Saints took the opener 9-2 and the saw a late inning rally fall short in the nightcap as the Mavericks won 3-1 in 11 innings.
 
Game One: 
After a quiet first three innings of play, the offenses for both squads came to life. The Saints cracked the scoreboard first in the fourth as Ben Hopkins reached base on a fielder's choice and scored on an Austin Tapella double to left center to give Maryville a 1-0 lead. 
 
The Mavericks scored two runs in the top of the fifth to briefly grab the advantage, the Saints answered with a crooked number in the home half of the frame. Alex Hoff started the inning with a double and scored on a Hayden Thornton single to even the contest at 2-2. After Dominic Connolly singled, Wyatt Elbe cleared the bases with a three-run blast over the right field wall to take a 5-2 lead.
 
The Saints plated four more runs in the sixth as Connolly drove in a pair of runs with a single and Elbe added two more runs batted in with a double to make the score 9-2.
 
 
Winning Pitcher: Ryan Louck (2-1)
Save: None
Losing Pitcher:  C. Denk (0-1)
Hitting leader: Elbe – 3-for-4, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, run scored
                         Connolly – 2-for-4, 2 RBI, two runs scored
 
Game Two: 
The nightcap turned into a pitcher's duel as Minnesota State took a 1-0 lead in the third and then held the saints hitless until the eighth frame. Maryville tied the game in the ninth as Connolly opened the frame with a double and scored as Hopkins grounded out to make the score 1-1.
 
After a scoreless 10th inning, the Mavericks pulled ahead in the 11th with two runs to take a 3-1 advantage. The Saints had a chance to tie the game in the home portion of the inning as Connolly ripped a double and moved to third on a Hopkins single, but Minnesota State ended the game with a strikeout to earn the series split.
 
Winning Pitcher: Altermatt (1-0)
Save: None
Losing Pitcher:  Ryan Scharf (0-1)
Hitting leader: Connolly – 2-for-4, 2 2B, run scored
                         Hopkins – 1-for-4
 
 
Records:
Maryville – 5-4
Minn. State – Mankato – 2-2
 
Up Next: Maryville continues its homestand with a four-game series against Davenport that begins Friday, Feb. 28, at Weber Field. The team will play a doubleheader on Friday starting at noon.