ST. LOUIS – Maryville University baseball took their second consecutive game against Southwest Baptist University on Saturday afternoon behind a six-RBI performance from
Ben Hopkins and a strong outing on the mound from
Jamie Young.
Southwest Baptist Recap
SBU struck first for the second game in a row when Zeke Skinner hit his first of three home runs in the first inning on Saturday. The Bearcats held their lead through two innings after pair of shutout frames from their starting pitcher.
Maryville rebounded from its slow start with five runs in the third inning. The Saints loaded the bases for
Alex Hoff who singled in one run before getting caught in a pickle between first and second buying time for two more runs to score.
Ben Hopkins doubled home two more a few batters later to extend the gap to 5-2.
The visitors struck for two more in the top of the fourth but the home team responded in a hurry.
Elias Stevens added a run in the bottom half with a single through the left side of the infield to bring home
Dominic Connolly. Hopkins broke the game wide open later in the inning with a three-run home run to right, his third of the year.
Brad Willis homered for the Saints with one out in the fifth, followed soon after by an RBI double from Stevens, and a two-RBI single from Friday's hero
Michael Gould. The Bearcats continued to show fight, however, picking up a run in the sixth to end Young's day with nine strikeouts and four earned over 5.1 innings pitched.
SBU pulled even closer in the top of the seventh on Skinner's third home run of the day to make it 13-6. Now three runs away from ending the contest in short-game fashion, Gould, Hopkins, and Bunton all picked up RBI singles to restore their 10-run lead and to finish off game two with a 16-6 final.
Winning Pitcher: Jamie Young (2-2)
Losing Pitcher: Jacob Martin (0-3)
Hitting Leaders:
Ben Hopkins: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 6 RBI, R
Michael Gould: 4-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R
Elias Stevens: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 4 R, BB
Records:
Maryville: 25-18, 14-8 GLVC
Southwest Baptist: 8-35, 3-19 GLVC
What's Next?
The Saints wrap up their series against the Bearcats with a Senior Day doubleheader on Sunday, May 1. The festivities begin at 12:30 p.m. followed by the first pitch at 1 p.m.
