On Saturday afternoon, the University of Missouri-Saint Louis baseball team traveled to West St. Louis County for a double header against the Maryville University Saints at Weber Field. Coming into Saturday’s two games, the Saints sported the worst record in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, 3-15 and 7-23 overall.
Entering the one nine inning and one seven inning fixtures, the Tritons won four of their last five including a three game winning streak.
“We’ve been on a tear lately,” UM-St. Louis head baseball coach Jim Brady said. We have to keep playing sound fundamentally and keep swinging the bats well to help take care of business.”
The Tritons accomplished more than that in the first game of the double header. UM-St. Louis took advantage of a first inning error by Maryville. With Tritons senior right fielder and accounting major Matt Macke at first and one out, junior shortstop and secondary education major Andrew Keating hit a mile high pop up on the infield into the cloudless, high sky.
The ball hit the palm of Saints shortstop Nick Little’s glove and fell onto the field. UM-St. Louis capitalized with a two out, RBI single by junior designated hitter and accounting major Kenny Bechaud.
In the top of the seventh inning, with UM-St. Louis leading 4-0, senior third baseman and liberal studies major Erik Walk continued his hot hitting with a two-run homerun smashed well over the right field wall and into the woods surrounding Weber Field.
“Erik is a real vocal leader of the team,” Drew Standefer, leftfielder, freshman, undecided, said. Throughout both games Walk was the leading chatter booster on the infield.
“He’s someone whose really been hitting well,” Brady said. “He comes to play every day, and his enthusiasm is contagious.”
Including Saturday’s doubleheader, Walk has hit three homeruns in the past three games, two of which came against Webster University at Triton Bleacher Bash.
“We’re really grateful for student affairs for getting the word out about Bleacher Bash,” said Brady. “It’s always good to have a big crowd to support the team.”
Tritons junior starting pitcher Brandon Fear hurled a complete game shutout. The finance major from Edwardsville, struck out three hitters and walked only two as he frustrated the Maryville hitters with ground ball outs and several double plays turned by the UM-St. Louis infield.
Junior centerfielder and physical education major Manny Flores made an incredible diving catch in the bottom of the third inning to rob Maryville third baseman Robert Huckstep of extra bases.
“I had to cover a lot ground, but once I had it, I tucked the ball under my body and made sure to hold on to it,” Flores said, who was playing the right-handed hitting Huckstep the other way into right center field.
UM-St. Louis was not so lucky in the second leg of the doubleheader. Despite stellar pitching from southpaw senior Gurdine Acklin, six innings pitched, three earned runs, and four strikeouts, the bullpen failed to secure the sweep.
Maryville tied the game in the bottom of the seventh forcing an eighth inning walk off infield hit off of Tritons Junior Media Studies major and pitcher Ryne Moleski. With the split UM-St. Louis is still in the hunt for a GLVC conference tournament spot.
This Tuesday, April 13, the Tritons play host to NAIA Harris-Stowe at the UMSL Baseball Field on South Campus. First pitch at 3 p.m.