KANSAS CITY – Joey Polak set the Maryville baseball career home run record in Friday afternoon's split with William Jewell College. The graduate student from Quincy, Illinois, hit two home runs in the game one loss to tie the record and broke it with his 27^th career blast in a 16-11 Saints victory in game two.
 
Game One Recap
Joey Polak put the Saints up early in game one with a three-run home run to right field to plate Dominic Connolly and Brad Willis. Camden Ruby singled in Elias Stevens later in the inning to jump ahead 4-0.
 
The Cardinals responded immediately in the bottom half with a two-run shot to centerfield. A Ben Hopkins RBI double in the next half-inning put the Saints up 5-2, but William Jewell answered once again and tied it at five all.
 
Another RBI double from Hopkins in the fifth gave the Saints the lead, but that lead evaporated once again in the bottom half with a pair of runs from the home team.
 
The offensive outburst continued into the sixth with Polak's career record-tying 26^th career home run to plate two more. Hopkins picked up another RBI a few batters later to push the lead to 9-7.
 
Still in the sixth, the Cardinals posted a pair of runs to tie the game and broke that tie in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI groundout. William Jewell added an insurance run in the eighth and closed the door on Maryville in the ninth to take a 11-9 game one win.
 
Winning Pitcher: Drew Dant (4-1)
Losing Pitcher: Jamie Young (1-2)
 
Hitting Leaders:
Joey Polak: 4-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, BB
Ben Hopkins: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI
Michael Gould: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 R
 

Game Two Recap
Game two got off to a rocky start for the visitors. William Jewell took a big lead in the first inning with a five-run frame.
 
The Saints started chipping away in the third with a Michael Gould RBI double, a run on a wild pitch, and another RBI from Hopkins on a single to left field.
 
Now down 5-4, Polak doubled home Dominic Connolly and came home to score on an Alex Hoff base knock. Hopkins capped off the inning with an RBI single to bring in Hoff to push the lead to 7-5.
 
The Cardinals worked it back to a tie at seven all in the fourth before Polak broke the tie and the Maryville career home run record with a solo shot to left field.
 
The Saints went on to score eight in the sixth inning to bust the game open and never looked back, taking a 16-11 victory over the Cardinals to earn the Friday split.
 
Winning Pitcher: Noah Arras (2-3)
Losing Pitcher: Will Fisher (0-1)
 
Hitting Leaders:
Ben Hopkins: 3-for-5, 4 RBI, R
Joey Polak: 4-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Alex Hoff: 2-for-2, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
  
Records:
Maryville: 22-17, 11-7 GLVC
William Jewell: 25-13, 11-7 GLVC
  
What's Next?
The series with William Jewell College continues on Saturday, April 23 with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.