ST. LOUIS – The Maryville baseball team fell to No. 5-ranked Central Missouri 15-3 on Tuesday afternoon at Weber Field.

The Mules used a pair of big innings to pull away, scoring seven runs in the fourth and adding four more in the seventh to secure the road victory.

INS & OUTS
After two scoreless innings to open the contest, Central Missouri struck first in the third. A fielding error opened the door for the Mules, who plated three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run homer to right.

The fourth inning proved decisive. Central Missouri sent 11 hitters to the plate and tallied seven runs on seven hits, including a three-run blast to stretch the lead to 9-0. The Mules later added an RBI single in the inning to make it 10-0.

Maryville answered in the bottom half of the fourth. Jack Meyer drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Dominic Anselmo moved him to third with a groundout. After Matthew Rauser was hit by a pitch, Steven Schneider delivered the Saints' biggest swing of the day, launching a three-run homer to center field to cut the deficit to 10-3.

That would account for both of Maryville's hits on the afternoon, as Schneider's long ball and Anselmo's sixth-inning single were the only knocks for the Saints. 

On the mound, Sam Cardwell opened with two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. The Saints used seven pitchers in total in the contest.

UP NEXT
The Saints have a three-game set against Saginaw Valley State. The series is set to start Friday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m.