Red-hot rightfielder Clayton Stephens had two homers, including a grand slam, in UMSL’s Game 1 win over Rockhurst on Friday. (Photo: Nathan Assata)
| Game 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockhurst | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 |
| UMSL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | X | 9 | 9 | 2 |
W: Nick Torres (2-3) L: Michael Hellman (0-2) S: Dylan Wobbe (2)
| Game 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockhurst | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
| UMSL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | X | 8 | 10 | 2 |
W: Adam Rose (3-3) L: Ethan Kulpinski (4-4)
by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
ST. LOUIS, MO — The University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s baseball team extended its current win streak to five games on Friday afternoon at the UMSL Baseball Field, by sweeping both games of a doubleheader against Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Rockhurst University, by the scores of 9-8 and 8-2.
The Tritons, who were coming off three straight wins over crosstown rival Lindenwood last weekend, have won three straight GLVC series and are now on the verge of winning their fourth, thanks to the two victories on Friday. UMSL and Rockhurst will play another doubleheader on Saturday, and the Tritons just need to win one of the two, to claim the series.
On Friday, UMSL earned its wins by getting big days at the plate by several players.
In Game 1, junior rightfielder Clayton Stephens led the way, by blasting his team-leading seventh and eighth home runs of the season. The first one, which went deep over the left field wall, was a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning that tied the score at 4.
Then, after Rockhurst had gone ahead 7-4, Stephens launched a grand slam over the center field wall in the bottom of the seventh to give UMSL the lead for good.
Triton first baseman Mitchell Green, who had also homered earlier in the game, scored what proved to be the game-winning run, on a single by teammate Leighton Keller.
UMSL junior Nick Torres (2-3) pitched seven innings to get the win, while freshman reliever Dylan Wobbe pitched the eighth and ninth innings to get his second save of the season.
In Game 2, the Tritons scored at least one run in every inning and never trailed, in a complete-game, seven-inning victory for sophomore starter Adam Rose (3-3), who allowed just one earned run on seven hits, and struck out nine, while walking no one.
Leadoff man Brandon Olion and No. 2 hitter Kameron Laskowski were the hitting stars of the nightcap. The UMSL duo combined to go seven-for-seven with four RBIs and four runs scored in the win.
Olion had three hits, two RBIs, scored four times, walked once, and was just a homer away from hitting for the cycle, while Laskowski had four hits, including a single in the bottom of the first that gave UMSL its first lead, and a double in the bottom of the sixth that drove in Olion for the Tritons’ final run of the night.
The five straight wins have lifted UMSL’s overall record to 12-21, with 10 of those wins coming in the month of April. The Tritons are also 11-7 in GLVC play, which has them in a three-way tie for second place in the GLVC Green Division with William Jewell and Maryville — a pair of clubs that both have winning overall records this season.
The two games on Saturday against Rockhurst will be played at noon and 2:30 p.m. The opener will be a seven-inning contest, with the nightcap scheduled as a full nine-inning game.
Rockhurst is 14-25 on the season and 4-14 in conference play. The Hawks have lost six games in a row, and in an almost direct contrast to UMSL, Rockhurst has lost 14 of the 17 games its played this month.