March 02, 2008

No. 2 Ouachita Baptist Tops Tritons Baseball, 8-1

BOX SCORE

ARKADELPHIA, ARK. – A five-run fourth inning helped No. 2 Ouachita Baptist hold off the University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team Sunday afternoon as the Tritons lost an 8-1 game at Rab Rodgers Field.

Senior Linds Prestia (0-1) took the loss on the mound for the Tritons, working three innings and giving up five runs on three hits. Prestia also walked four batters.

UMSL jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when junior Steve Porter led off the inning by taking first after being hit by the pitch. Freshman Manny Flores then advanced Porter to second with a sacrifice hit. Porter stole third before junior Andy Ford brought him home with a double to left center.

Ouachita Baptist’s bats then came alive in the fourth inning. After allowing just one hit in his first three innings of work, Prestia gave up a homerun to Jim Streicher to lead off the bottom of the inning. Prestia then walked three consecutive batters to load the bases when Drew Maus delivered a single down the left field line bringing in a pair of runs to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead. Ouachita Baptist (16-2) would add another pair of runs before the inning was over and tacked on another three runs in the sixth.

Ford led UMSL at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double.

Junior Mark Sanders pitched two innings in relief for the Tritons, giving up six hits and three runs. Seniors Eric Kuntz and John Kalb also saw action on the mound for UMSL.

Alex Smith (1-0) picked up the win for the Tigers, pitching five and a third innings, while giving up just one hit and striking out four.

USML, which stands at 4-4, is slated to host Central Missouri in a single game in its home opener on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.