ST. LOUIS — The Bellarmine University baseball team was on the favorable side and then the unfavorable side of 3-2 scores in a doubleheader Sunday at Missouri-St. Louis.
Bellarmine (12-6) struggled offensively over the course of the twin bill but still managed a split with UMSL (8-9). The Knights extended their winning streak to six in the opener before seeing it halted in the tail end.
Hunter Spencer (3-0) highlighted the first game with his performance on the mound. The senior left-hander allowed one earned run on seven hits while striking out six in a seven-inning, complete-game effort. Spencer struck out the side in the seventh to lock up the win.
Senior shortstop
Drew Greenwood led off the doubleheader with a double, but that wasn't a sign of things to come for Bellarmine's offense. UMSL's Kevin Smith struck out 11 in 7.0 innings and didn't allow an earned run, but luckily for the Knights the Tritons' defense went off the rails in the fifth with three straight errors.
Bellarmine was trailing 2-0 at that point, but Greenwood cut the deficit in half when he forced in a run after being hit by a pitch. Senior second baseman
Alex Ralph followed with a go-ahead two-run single that proved to be the difference as Spencer kept the Tritons off the scoreboard after the third frame.
Greenwood had two hits in the opener and Ralph and freshman right fielder
Matt Higgins added one apiece. Bellarmine only had four hits in the tail end as well, with Higgins collecting two and Greenwood and senior left fielder
Griffin Neuer adding one each.
Missouri-St. Louis scored twice in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead. Higgins got Bellarmine within a run with a two-out RBI single in the ninth, but Michael Houchin turned the Knights back with a strikeout. The Tritons racked up 12 strikeouts, with Houchin tallying four in 2.0 innings of relief and Jim Brandt (2-0) amassing eight in 7.0 innings.
Freshman right-hander
Brandon Pfaadt (2-1) struck out eight while allowing three earned runs in 5.0 innings in taking the loss. Sophomore right-hander
Anthony Ethington, junior right-hander
Kyle Beach and senior right-hander
Duncan Amrein all pitched 1.0 scoreless inning of relief.
Bellarmine hosts McKendree in GLVC doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.
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BOX SCORE (HTM)
BOX SCORE (HTM)