LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University baseball (11-19, 6-6 GLVC) split its weekend series with the Tritons of Missouri-St. Louis (7-19, 6-6 GLVC) after a tight 16-15 victory on Sunday afternoon. The Bearcats got back to .500 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference play with the game four win over UMSL while senior pitcher Brenden Boles recorded his first win of the campaign.

McKendree had eight hitters record at least one knock in the fourth and final game of the weekend as senior outfielder Corey Price led with three hits, five RBIs, four runs scored and a walk in his day at the plate. 

The Bearcats kicked things off with a five-run first inning, which featured a bomb to right center by sophomore outfielder Joseph Copeland, which brought in Corey Price. Graduate outfielder Ryan Hutchinson and senior outfielder Corey Price each recorded a double while senior infielder Joseph Costanzo was driven in by a sacrifice fly by graduate catcher Mason Hale. McKendree led 5-0 over UMSL at the end of the opening inning. 

The Tritons came back with two runs in the top of the second before the Bearcats answered with a shelling between the second and third innings. Hutchinson began the nine-straight runs for McKendree with a solo homer to left (6-2), which was followed up with a Price bomb to right field, which brought in senior infielder Alex Steinbach home as well (8-2). The next scoring spree came from another bomb in the third, this time from junior outfielder Katom Parnell, his first of the year, and also drove in Hale (10-. Price then tacked on two more runs when he drove in two with Hutchinson and freshman infielder Gavin Arseneau reaching home (12-2). To cap-off scoring in the flurry, Copeland launched another homer to left, which also brought in Price (14-2). 

The Bearcats managed to add two more insurance runs, which were highly needed in the latter moments of the contest. The Tritons started up their bats in the late innings, scoring 10 runs between the fourth and seventh to make it a 16-12 game. UMSL then tacked on three in the ninth before graduate pitcher Evan Spears buried the Tritons with the third and final out. 

UP NEXT
McKendree baseball will make the short trip across St. Louis for a four-game series against Maryville on April 14-16 in Chesterfield, Missouri. 

Stay up-to-date with Bearcats Baseball by following the team on Instagram and Twitter.

For more updates and information on McKendree Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
#BearcatsUnleashed