The William Jewell College baseball team opened up a Great Lakes Valley Conference four game series with Truman State on Friday in Kirksville, Mo.   

In game one, Jewell scored early and often to shutout the Bulldogs 12-0 and hung on for a 6-5 win in game two.  The Cardinals improve to 26-18 overall and 11-11 in GLVC play while Truman State fell to 18-26 overall and 10-12 in league play. 

The first game saw senior Austin Kretchmar (7-2) once again being efficient in his start, throwing seven complete innings with five strikeouts.  He scattered nine hits and did not allow a walk.

Andrew Miller (five RBI) had four hits including a homerun for the Cardinals and Garrett McKinzie collected three hits including a homerun.  Dylan Christie, the reigning GLVC player of the week, continued his power surge as he blasted a two-run homerun in the eighth inning. 

Jewell jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, taking charge early and never letting up.  McKinzie, the second batter of the game, hit a solo shot to give the Cardinals their first run of the game.   Later in the inning with two out and runners at second and third, Travis Foerschler hit a single to score a pair of runs after Jewell had scored a run in the previous at bat. 

Miller's two-run homer in the second put the Cardinals ahead 6-0, where it stayed until the top of the fourth when Jewell tacked on two more runs to lead, 8-0. Miller again did the damage to the Bulldogs with a two-run single. 

The Cards scored single runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the eighth to produce the winning margin. 
 
In game two, Jewell scored a single run in the top of the first only to see Truman rally for one in the bottom of the frame and three in the bottom of the second to take a 4-1 lead.  Andrew Miller's sacrifice fly scored a run in the top of the third to cut the lead to 4-2.  Garrett McKinzie then tied the game with a two-run homerun in the fifth and the Cards were able to manufacture two more runs in the sixth to lead 6-4. 

The Bulldogs got a run home in the bottom of the seventh before Jewell was able to close the game out for the 6-5 win.

Vijay Patel pitched six innings in relief of Zach Hutcherson and earned his third victory of the season.   Patel gave up three hits and one run while striking out six. 

McKinzie was 2-for-4 with two RBI's while Coleman Waheed was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

The weekend series concludes on Saturday, April 30 with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.