(LEBANON, Ill., March 26)—The McKendree University baseball team dropped a 6-5 decision Tuesday afternoon at home to the University of Missouri-St. Louis in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest at Hypes Field.
 
The Bearcats built an early 4-1 lead, but the visiting Tritons scored three runs in the sixth inning to pull even, then added two runs in the seventh to take the lead for good. McKendree moves to 9-14 overall and 6-6 in the GLVC. The Bearcats will return to action this weekend with a three-game conference series at Lewis University. The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday before closing with a single match-up on Sunday. First pitch both days will be at noon.
 
Senior outfielder Austin Werner (Hamel, IL/Edwardsville) had a big day at the plate for McKendree, going 3-for-4 that included a pair of solo home runs. Senior infielder Drake Hampton (Godfrey, IL/Alton) also went deep for the Bearcats, adding two hits and two runs scored.
 
After a scoreless first inning, McKendree drew first blood in the bottom of the second. Hampton led off the frame by driving a pitch over the left field fence for his second home run of the season to stake the Bearcats to a 1-0 advantage. Werner made it 2-0 in the third when he blasted the first pitch of the inning over the fence in left field. Senior infielder Matt Klosterman (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) then singled and advanced to second on a Tritons' error. He moved to third on a wild pitch and eventually scored when a Bearcat runner was caught in a rundown between first and second base.
 
Missouri-St. Louis (5-18, 4-8 GLVC) plated its first run of the day in the top of the fourth inning before McKendree with a tally in the bottom of the frame. Hampton singled up the middle and then proceeded to steal second and third base. Senior Andrew Aydt (Wildwood, MO/Eureka) then delivered a run-scoring single to center field that scored Hampton, giving the Bearcats a 4-1 cushion.
 
The Bearcats' lead stood until the top of the sixth, when the Tritons scored three times to knot the contest at 4-4. UMSL then grabbed a 6-4 lead with two runs in the top of the seventh.
 
McKendree looked to rally in its final at-bat in the ninth inning. Werner ripped his second home run of the game – a solo shot to center that hit the top of the fence and bounced over – to trim the Bearcats' deficit to just one run. But UMSL's Ryan Siverly notched the final two outs to collect the save.
 
Sophomore Connor Gilles (High Ridge, MO/Rockwood Summit) tossed the first five innings for McKendree, allowing just one run on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Sophomore Lucas Vallandingham (Millstadt, IL/Belleville West) was charged with the mound loss for the Bearcats.