Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 JOPLIN, MO – The University of Illinois-Springfield (UIS) baseball team dropped the first two games of the season on Saturday.
 
UIS (0-2) took a 6-2 loss to Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) foe Maryville University (2-1). Missouri Southern State University (4-2) then edged the Prairie Stars 3-2 to close out the day.
 
GAME 1: MARYVILLE 6, UIS 2
 
Maryville jumped onto the board first, with Brennan Williams cracking a solo homer in the top of the second inning.
 
The Saints' lead would be pushed out to 2-0 in the fourth when Garrett Taylor homered. Camdon Mercier singled, allowing Williams to score off an error later in the play.
 
Illinois Springfield cracked the scoreboard, as Nick Stokowski's flyout was deep enough to score Cole Taylor, who went 2-for-3 in the game.

Cody Klotz capitalized off a UIS error in the fifth, giving Maryville a 4-1 advantage. It would quickly become 5-1, when Drake Lubin was brought in on a Dalton Schumer groundout.

Maryville added one last run for insurance with Garrett Taylor driving in Lubin on a single to push the score to 6-1, in the seventh.

The Prairie Stars pushed once more in the eighth. Cole Taylor laced one up and sent it over the right-field fence for a home run, setting the score at 6-2, where the game would stand final.

Brayden Jensen (0-1) went five innings in the losing effort for the Prairie Stars, giving up five runs (two earned) on eight hits, while striking out four. Andrew Dean struck out three batters and issued one run on three hits in two innings. Kenny Brokop and Sam Geraci each gave up zero walks and zero hits in one scoreless inning. Geraci also fanned a batter.
 
Alec Harris (1-1) picked up the win for Maryville, striking out seven, yielding three walks and allowing an unearned run on one hit in six innings on the mound. Andrew Peters collected his first save of the season. He punched out three batters and conceded one run on three hits in three innings.

Zach Speaker and Tyler Hilton both added a hit to UIS's ledger, rounding out UIS's four hits. Cole Taylor stole a base for the Prairie Stars.
 
Williams went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homer for Maryville. Garrett Taylor finished 2-for-5 with a solo homer and two RBIs. Klotz and Lubin each went 2-for-4. Maryville tallied 11 hits.
 
GAME 2: MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE 3, UIS 2

The second game was a pitchers duel for the first five innings. In the top of the sixth, it was Michael Rothmund breaking the scoreless tie, hitting a solo bomb to put Illinois-Springfield up, 1-0.

Missouri Southern State notched the game at 1-1 in the sixth, with Alex Phillips doubling to right center, scoring Alec Alvarez.

The Prairie Stars jumped back in front in the eighth, 2-1, with Rothmund crossing the plate on a wild pitch.

Things unraveled for the Prairie Stars in the bottom of the ninth. Missouri Southern State tied the game on a throwing error following a single from Easton. After that, Denver Coffee hit a sacrifice-fly out to center, bringing Jon Leighton in, giving the Lions the 3-2 victory.

R.D. Lutze (0-1) picked up the loss for UIS. He walked two batters and gave up two runs on two hits in two-thirds innings. Justin Revels, who started for the Prairie Stars, struck out eight batters, allowed one walk and issued one run on three hits in six innings. Ethan Howard tossed two scoreless innings, struck out two batters and allowed one walk.
 
Cam Bednar (0-1) earned the win for Missouri Southern State. He recorded one and two-thirds innings, retiring each of the five batters he faced including notching a strikeout. Corbin Osburn punched out 10 batters, scattered three walks and gave up one run on three hits in six innings. Corey Cowan fanned three batters, issued two walks and conceded one run on one hit in one and two-thirds innings.

UIS battles Missouri Southern State on Sunday at 12 p.m.