(ST. LOUIS, Mo., Feb. 23)—The McKendree University baseball team earned its first victory of the 2018 season Friday during the Bearcats' split of a doubleheader at Maryville University. McKendree was defeated 13-6 in the opener before pulling away late in game two for a 12-3 victory over the Saints.
McKendree is now 1-4 on the year, and will face Maryville again in a twinbill on Sunday in St. Louis. First pitch is slated for noon.
Junior infielder Matt Klosterman had a big day at the plate for McKendree, rapping out five hits while scoring four runs. Junior infielder Drake Hampton had a pair of hits in each contest. Junior outfielder Levi Brening belted a home run and double in game one and finished with five RBI on the day. Senior infielder Jeff Wetzler came up big in the nightcap with two hits and three runs batted in, while freshman catcher Connor McCormick delivered a pair of hits and two RBI in the Bearcats' game two win.
Freshman left-hander Jack Strieker struck out eight batters in picking up his first collegiate victory on the mound in the nightcap. Strieker allowed two earned runs on three hits and walked five batters. Three McKendree hurlers combined to fan 14 Maryville batters in the win.
In game two, McKendree jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Klosterman laced a leadoff double down the right field line and proceeded to steal third base. After Wetzler walked and stole second base, Klosterman scored on an error to put the Bearcats in front. Wetzler moved to third on a groundout and later came home when junior infielder Andrew Aydt bounced out to second base to give McKendree an early two-run lead.
Maryville (3-4) scratched out a run in the second inning before McKendree regained its two-run advantage in the top of the fourth. Junior outfielder Corey Chambliss and junior infielder Luke Johnson drew consecutive two-out walks before Chambliss came around to score thanks to an RBI single off the bat of Hampton. The Saints answered right back with a run in the bottom of the frame to get within 3-2.
McKendree then broke the game open by scoring seven runs in the sixth inning to extend its lead to 10-2. The Bearcats sent 11 batters to the plate in the uprising, yet plated the seven runs on just two hits. Senior outfielder Grant Anderson reached on a two-base error to start things before Chambliss and Johnson walked to load the bases. Two batters later, McCormick delivered a two-run single to bring home Anderson and Chambliss to give the Bearcats a 5-2 advantage.
Klosterman stepped in next and reached on a fielder's choice as Hampton – who reached on an earlier fielder's choice – slid home with the third run of the frame. Wetzler stepped in next and ripped an RBI single to center field to score McCormick for a 7-2 cushion. Brening scored Klosterman on a fielder's choice before Wetzler scampered home on a Saints' error to make it 9-2. Anderson then closed the scoring when he grounded out to third base to score Brening to cap the largest scoring outburst for McKendree in the young season.
Wetzler closed out the game two scoring when he produced a two-run triple to right field in the top of the seventh inning. McKendree scored its 12 runs on just eight hits, but took advantage of four errors by Maryville that led to seven unearned runs.
In the opener, Maryville struck for three runs in the second and fourth innings to build a 6-0 lead. McKendree cut the deficit in half with three runs in the top of the fifth inning to rally within 6-3. Hampton led off with a double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Junior outfielder Austin Werner got the Bearcats on the scoreboard when he produced an RBI single to score Hampton. Three batters later, Brening blasted a two-run home run to right-center field for his second round-tripper of the year to close the rally.
Maryville plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth to regain an 8-3 advantage when the Bearcats scored three more times in the top of the sixth to get back within 8-6. Chambliss was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Johnson. Brening added a two-out, two-run double to get McKendree within two runs. But the Saints answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, then added insurance tallies in the seventh and eighth innings to pull away for the win.
