UMSL Completes Weekend Sweep with Dominating Pitching Performances

Rivermen Pitchers Yield One Run in Three Games

Owensboro, Ky. - The UMSL baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Kentucky Wesleyan with a 7-1 win on Sunday afternoon. The win followed a doubleheader sweep on Saturday that saw UMSL pitchers throw two complete game shutouts, winning 7-0 and 9-0 in those two games. The Rivermen improve to 21-6 on the season and 9-3 in the GLVC.

In Sunday's game, UMSL gave up its only run of the weekend in the second inning, and trailed 1-0 through the first seven innings. The Rivermen then exploded with four runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth for the 7-3 win. Bobby Tiefenauer went the distance Sunday, giving up one run on nine hits and struck out five over nine innings of work. He improved his record to 3-0 on the season with the win. UMSL took the lead in the eighth on an RBI sacrifice fly from Jason Barron. Aaron Brown followed with an RBI single to spark the four-run inning. In the ninth, Logan Hughes had a two-run single and Barron followed him with an RBI base hit for the 7-1 win.

The Rivermen got two outstanding pitching performances in Saturday's doubleheader. Matt Kueny pitched the first complete game shutout of the day for UMSL, going the full 7.0 innings. He gave up just three hits in the game and struck out six while walking none in the game as he retired each of the last 14 batters than he faced in the game. UMSL got the offense started in the first inning as Bryan Weiss knocked in the first run with an RBI single to bring home the first of two runs that inning. In the sixth, Jason Barron had a two-run single and the Rivermen then added three runs in the ninth for the 7-0 win.

Saturday's second game saw a bit of history as Greg Bierling picked up career win number 20, putting him in a tie for most career wins at UMSL along with Andrew Runzi. Bierling almost did it in dramatic fashion as well, pitching a complete game shutout and carried a no-hitter and perfect game into the seventh inning. For the game, Bierling went 9.0 innings, giving up no runs on just three hits and struck out nine while walking none. He retired the first 19 batters he faced and never allowed a runner past first past in the game. On the offensive end, UMSL got one run in the first on an RBI single by Bryan Weiss, which was all it would need, but added eight more runs for the 9-0 win. Scott Davis and Doug Wiles had RBI hits in the second and Scott Miller had a two-run single in the third. UMSL then scored four runs in the sixth as Tony Grana had a two-run single in that innings.

The Rivermen improved to 21-6 on the season and remained at the top of the GLVC standings with a 9-3 conference record. UMSL will have a big week at home, hosting Quincy in a doubleheader on Wednesday and then hosting Northern Kentucky for three games over the weekend.