UMSL’s Bennett Cagle (13) celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning of the Tritons’ win over Wayne State on Thursday. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6 UMSL (34-20) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| #3 Wayne State (37-15) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
WP: Brandon Johnson – UMSL (3-2) LP: Rocco Cardinale – WSU (1-2)
SPRINGFIELD, IL — It took the entire game, but the University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team scored a run in the eighth inning to tie and six more in the ninth to take the lead and eventually defeat Wayne State, 10-5, in a first round matchup of the NCAA Midwest Regionals, Thursday afternoon at the UIS Baseball Field.
UMSL was down 4-1 at the end of the first inning, but scored single runs in the second, fifth, and eighth innings to tie the game. Then in the ninth, the Tritons sent 11 men to the plate and scored six runs to take a commanding 10-4 lead.
Wayne State scored a run with two outs to get closer, but it wasn’t close enough, as UMSL earned its first NCAA Tournament win since 1996, which is also the last time the Tritons — still known as the Rivermen then — won the regional championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II College World Series.
UMSL’s Mitch Bonczkowski hit his 23rd homer of the season in Thursday’s win over Wayne State. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
UMSL showed off its power on Thursday, as the Tritons hit four home runs against Wayne State, which came into the postseason as one of the top pitching staffs in all of Division II baseball.
Slugger Mitch Bonczkowski led the way. The senior from South County St. Louis hit a solo homer in the top of the first — his 23rd of the season — to get UMSL on the board.
Teammates Noah Tomaras and Owen Faith also hit solo homers — Tomaras’ second of the season and Faith’s seventh — to get the Tritons back to within 4-3 heading into the eighth inning. That’s when UMSL tied the game without the benefit of a hit.
Cade Grevengoed led off with a hit by pitch, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ethan Landis. Grevengoed then took third on a wild pitch, before scoring the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Garrett Strenger.
Junior Brandon Johnson, who entered the game in relief in the second inning and pitched the final 7 2/3 innings for the Tritons to get the win, mowed the Warriors down in order in the bottom of the eighth to set up the dramatic ninth inning finish.
UMSL leadoff man LJ Randle had two hits and scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the Tritons’ NCAA Tournament win over Wayne State on Thursday. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Leadoff man LJ Randle led off the ninth with a walk, then advanced to second on an infield grounder off the bat of Justin Terhaar. Both runners were safe when Wayne State tried to retire Randle at second, but couldn’t get the ball to the base before he got there.
Bonczkowski singled to score Randle and give UMSL the lead. Then, two batters later freshman Bennett Cagle delivered the big blow of the day, when he drilled a three-run homer over the left-field wall — his sixth of the season — to put the Tritons up 8-4.
UMSL scored its final two runs on the same play, which began as a double steal with Landis and Grevengoed, who stole home. Landis was safe at second, then took third when the throw from the Wayne State defender sailed high and over the head of the second baseman. Landis rounded third and was awarded home, when another Wayne State defender was called for obstruction for standing in Landis’ running path as he tried to score.
The UMSL Tritons won their fifth game in a row on Friday, when they defeated Wayne State, 10-5, in a first round game of the NCAA Division II National Tournament. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
UMSL is now 1-0 in the NCAA Regional and 34-20 on the season. The No. 6 seed Tritons will now advance to the tournament’s second round, where they will face No. 2 seed host school Illinois-Springfield on Friday at 2 p.m.
The Tritons and Prairie Stars played four games previously this season, with UIS winning three of the four. The winner of Friday’s matchup will advance to the regional final on Saturday, while the loser will fall into the Loser’s Bracket and play an elimination game against either Wayne State or Indianapolis in the first game of the day on Saturday.
If the winner of the Loser’s Bracket game also wins the first regional final game, there will be a second and deciding championship game on Sunday.
The winner of the regional will advance to the Super Regionals, which will be played next weekend at a site to be determined.
Friday’s regional semifinal game between UMSL and UIS will be streamed live on NCAA.com.
2026 NCAA Division II Baseball Midwest Regional #2 in Springfield, IL
First Round – May 14
Game 1 – #7 Indianapolis at #2 Illinois-Springfield — UIS won 10-8
Game 2 – #6 UMSL vs. #3 Wayne State — UMSL won 10-5
Elimination Game – May 15
Game 3 – #7 UIndy vs. #3 Wayne State — 11 am
Winner’s Bracket – May 15
Game 4 – #1 Illinois-Springfield vs. #6 UMSL — 2 pm
Elimination Game – May 16
Game 5 – Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 — 11 am
Championship Round – May 16
Game 6 – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 — 2 pm
Championship Round – May 17 (if necessary)
Game 7 – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 — 11 am
Winner will advance to Super Regionals to play winner of Midwest Regional #1.