LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama baseball team swept a Saturday doubleheader from the University of Missouri at St. Louis to take the season-opening, four-game series from Tartt Field. UWA dropped UMSL 5-4 in the opener and 7-2 in the series finale.
West Alabama improves to 3-1 on the young season, while Missouri St. Louis goes to 1-3.
GAME 1, West Alabama 5, Missouri St. Louis 4
UMSL started the game with a bases-loaded walk to dent the scoreboard first in the opening frame, but it did not take long for the Tigers to get going. In the bottom half of the frame, after a muffed error by Andrew Buescher,
Houston Kitterman flipped the scoreboard back to the Tigers with a two-run single.
After a groundout to move Kitterman to second base,
Brayden Pelkey laced a hit to left for the UWA's third run of the frame.
The Tritons had a lot of traffic on the base paths in the next two innings, but they were left stranded with no issue. However, that changed in the fourth, as Brayden Stoakes made it a one-run affair with an RBI triple to deep center field.
Following a five-pitch walk, Logan McIntyre evened the game with an RBI groundout.
Fast forward to the eighth, still tied at three, the Tritons were threatening with the go-ahead run 90 feet away with one out, but
Jackson Wynn shut down the UMSL top of the order to keep the game square.
In the bottom of the eighth, Pelkey led off with a base knock. After
Cade Horton reached on a four-pitch walk, and a wild pitch, UWA had the go-ahead runs in scoring position with two outs. After a Triton pitching change,
Bryce Newman delivered the clutch knock right back where it came from to make a 5-3 lead.
Gates Pee, who earned the save in game one of the series on Friday, was summoned to go again in the opener on Saturday, but he had some trouble, allowing back-to-back base hits to put runners at the corners. McIntyre, who doubled to open the inning, later scored on a wild pitch and cutting the Tiger lead to a single run.
After a pinch-hit base hit by Bryce Kulinski to put the tying run at second base, Pee mowed down the final two batters to seal the victory.
UMSL had a lot of traffic on the base paths in game one, leaving 13 men on base.
UWA was led by
Bryce Newman who reached base four time, including two base hits, and also drove in two.
Brayden Pelkey also had a two-hit day with an RBI.
Houston Kitterman also added two hits and two RBIs.
Jackson Wynn (1-0), who came in for
Grainger West in the eighth, allowed a hit and kept the threatening Tritons off the board.
Gates Pee earned his second save of the year with two strikeouts in the ninth.
Andrew Buescher went 3-for-4 on the afternoon to lead UMSL.
GAME 2, West Alabama 7, Missouri St. Louis 2
In the nightcap,
Bryant Quimby got the contest started with a pick off at first to erase Braedon Stoakes's lead-off bunt single.
In the bottom of the opening inning,
Bryce Newman opened the game with a full count walk and later scored to get the Tigers ahead first.
In the fifth, UMSL saw back-to-back hitters start with base hits. With runners on the corners, Justin Simard had the suicide squeeze on, and Dane Stevenson, from third base, beat the shovel pass to the plate to make it a 1-1 affair.
Next up, Stoakes gave the Tritons the lead with a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the fifth, the West Alabama bats saw 12 batters come up to the plate. After an infield hit by Newman,
Blake Vineyard shot a line drive off the pitcher Dustin Hagans and rolled to right field. After a bobble by Logan Mantz, Newman scampered home to give tie this contest right back up at two runs apiece.
Two batters later,
Houston Kitterman poked a hit through the left side to give the Tigers the lead for good.
From there, the flood gates opened.
Jacob Messina, with the bases loaded, was plunked with a pitch. Following a pitching change, Horton sent a ball down the left field line for a two-run double to swell the lead to 6-2.
The five-run frame was complete with
Jack Beck's sac fly.
Now ahead 7-2, UWA cruised for the remainder of the seven-inning game, retiring six of the final seven batters faced.
Cade Horton was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in the series finale with two RBIs and a double.
Blake Vineyard and
Chase Dejean each had a multi-hit game.
Bryant Quimby (1-0) tossed five innings, allowing one earned run and striking out five.
Dane Stevenson was the lone Triton with two hits and added a run scored.
West Alabama will next host Kentucky State for a three-game series, starting next Saturday, Feb. 10, with a doubleheader at noon.
