ST. LOUIS – The Maryville baseball team will have to settle for another split series at home, winning game one of the Sunday doubleheader 6-2, while falling 2-0 in game four.
Braden Smith was dominant through six innings of game one, earning his first win of the season after allowing just one run on six strikeouts.
Philip Reinhardt picked up the save, getting two massive outs to close out game one.
Game two saw
Ty Rauser go five scoreless, while falling just one strikeout shy of Smith's total.
Aaris Stolte led the Saints from the plate today, going 2-4 across two games, including a walk and a stolen base.
Cole Christman's three-run homer in game one was the lone big hit of the day.
GAME 1 | MARYVILLE 6, DRURY 2
Both squads struck in the second inning, with
Nick Daugherty scoring
Josh Herget to equalize after the Panthers' run.
Michael Long, just a frame later gave the Saints the lead, grounding out to second base which allowed the speedy Stolte to scamper home.
Finally, the big blow came in the fifth, as with
Ambrose Russo and
Andrew Gould on, Christman tattooed a ball to deep left for his first home run of the year.
GAME 2 | DRURY 2, MARYVILLE 0
After back-to-back gems by the Saints, it was time for the Panthers to have an excellent performance on the mound, and they did more than that. Weston Laaker went all seven, allowing just three hits while carrying a perfect game into the fourth inning, and a no-hitter into the sixth.
Drury finally gave their starter some run support in the top of the sixth, leaving it 2-0. The Saints got the go-ahead run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, with Laaker's ninth and final strikeout ending the ballgame.
UP NEXT
The Saints welcome in both Hillsdale and Emporia State for a set of games in St. Louis. The Saints will begin on March 7, at 2 p.m. versus Emporia to begin their three game stretch.
