ST. LOUIS – The No. 25-ranked Maryville baseball team saw its season opener spoiled by the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals, falling 6-2 in game one and 2-1 in game two
 
GAME 1 | SVSU 6, MU 2
The Saints struck first in their season debut, with Josh Herget's rocket up the middle and an error by Saginaw Valley State allowing Cameron Macon–in his Saints debut— to round third and score. However, much to the dismay of the Saints fans in attendance, that ended as the lone run the Saints could score until the bottom of the ninth.
 
The Cardinals took the lead in the fourth off a sacrifice fly and a RBI single and never looked back, adding another in the sixth and a three spot in the top of the ninth to reach their six runs. With bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Saints clawed across one run with a bases loaded walk by Macon. A mental error on the base paths in the next bat resulted in the inning-ending double play and moved it to game two.
 
Ben Gregory's day saw five innings of work, not walking a single batter over that time. 
 
GAME 2 | SVSU, MU 1
Much like in game one, pitching reigned supreme. A two-RBI single by the visitors in the top of the second was all it took to put the Saints away, with Maryville only able to scratch one runner home, that coming in the sixth when a throwing error by the Cardinals allowed Macon to trot home.
 
Braden Smith, outside of the two-run second, was electric, tossing 5 & 2/3 of work, punching out ten while only walking three on six hits. The bullpen gave the Saints and chance with Saints' debuts of Alex Bryan and Mizzou-transfer Victor Quinn.
 
UP NEXT
The Saints will get two more cracks at SVSU, hosting the final two games of the four-game set tomorrow with first pitch for the seven-inning game set for 11 a.m. with another nine-inning game set to follow.


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