ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Lewis University baseball team split a double header with Missouri-St. Louis Saturday (March 27), falling 5-4 in the first game and winning 9-5 in the second game in the seven inning games. The Flyers are now 7-8 overall, 5-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while the Tritons are 4-12 overall, 2-7 in the GLVC.
 
Jackson Dvorak (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic) led the Flyers offensively with four hits and five RBI, while Michael O'Brien (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) had three hits and three RBI on the afternoon.
 
"I'm proud of the way we fought back in game two after a real tough loss in the first game," Lewis head baseball coach Tim McDonough said.
 
Game one – Missouri-St. Louis 5 Lewis 4
Dvorak got the Flyers on the board in the top of the first on a double, scoring Anthony Rios (Lemont, Ill./St. Laurence). Lewis scored three more runs in the top of the sixth inning as Kevin Barry (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) hit a two-run home run, scoring Dalton Crowder (Romeoville, Ill./Plainfield East), and O'Brien doubled, scoring Joe Preusser (Orland Park, Ill./Brother Rice).
 
However, the Tritons came back with three runs in the sixth and two more in the bottom of the seventh to win the game on a walk-off single.
 
Six different Flyers registered hits in the contest. Jake Karaba (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) struck out 10 in 5.2 innings of work, allowing six hits and two earned runs. Jake Lotz (Palos Hills, Ill./St. Laurence) (0-2) had the loss, allowing five hits and three runs in relief. Jake Uselton (1-0) earned the win, pitching 1.1 shutout innings.
 
"We stopped pressing the gas in game one and it came back to bite us," McDonough said. "You can't let teams back in games by squandering opportunities and that's what we did today."
 
Game two – Lewis 9 Missouri-St. Louis 5
The Tritons posted three runs in the first inning, but the Flyers came back with two in the second. Dvorak homered for the first run and Barry singled to score Julian Everett (Frankfort, Ill/Lincoln Way East).
 
After an UMSL run in the bottom of the second, Lewis got one back in the top of the third as Dvorak drove home Preusser on a sacrifice fly.
 
Lewis tied the game in the fourth as Patrick Keaty (South Elgin, Ill./South Elgin) drove home Barry on a sacrifice fly. The Flyers then took the lead in the fifth as a Dvorak double scored O'Brien. UMSL tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run.
 
The Flyers took the lead for good with four runs in the sixth inning. O'Brien singled home Keaty and Troy Hajdukovic (Palatine, Ill./Fremd). Dvorak doubled in O'Brien, and Everett tripled home Dvorak. The Tritons could only manage one runner in the final two innings.
 
Dvorak went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI, while O'Brien had two hits, a double, two runs and two RBI. Michael Sclafani (Oak Brook, Ill./Montini Catholic) (1-0) picked up the win, going three innings in relief, allowing two hits and one earned run, striking out three. Jacob Mosher (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing two earned runs in one inning.
 
"Our offense finally got going there in game two," McDonough said. "Jackson Dvorak (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic) had a great day offensively and I thought Joe Preusser (Orland Park, Ill./Brother Rice) and OB (O'Brien) had consistent, good at-bats most of the day. Mike Stevens (Homer Glen, Ill./), Kurt Dankovich (Homer Glen, Ill./Providence) and Michael Sclafani (Oak Brook, Ill./Montini Catholic) were great out of the bullpen."
 
The Flyers face the Tritons at 12 p.m. Sunday in the series finale.