The Culver-Stockton baseball team scored two runs in the eighth inning of the first game of a doubleheader to help earn a split with Clarke University Saturday afternoon at Spiegel Field in Pest, Iowa.

Clarke held scoreless for the first six innings of the nightcap to claim game two of the twin bill 5-2.

In the opener, the Wildcats and Pride were tied 4-4 after seven innings when Tristan Meny opened the top of the eight inning with a solo home run to give the Wildcats the lead.

C-SC added an insurance run later in the inning when Jeremiah Morris reached on a two-out throwing error and Ryan Osso followed with a RBI triple.

Charlie Stergos set Clarke down in order in the bottom of the inning to earn the victory and improve to 3-0 on the season. Stergos pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief, facing seven batters, and not allowing a hit or a run.

After neither team scored in the first two innings, C-SC broke through for a pair of runs in the third with a help of wildness from the Pride starting pitcher.

Osso and Dallas Slayton began the frame with walks, Noble Oxford sacrificed both runners up a base. Kannon Kirk then singled home Osso with the first run of the game and Jaison Andujar hit a sacrifice fly to score Slayton for a 2-0 Wildcat lead.

After Clarke cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth, C-SC plated two more runs in the fifth inning to increase the lead to 4-1.

Jeremiah Morris started the inning with a leadoff double and was balked to third with no on out. After Osso grounded out, Slayton singled home Morris with a single to center. 

Oxford followed with his own RBI single to plate Slayton, who had advanced to second on a previous error by the centerfielder on his go-ahead single.

Clarke then tied the game in the sixth inning with a three-run, two-hit uprising off of C-SC starter Davin Meier so set the stage for the game-winning rally in the eight inning.

Meier pitched well enough to earn a victory, but allowing just four hits and striking out six over 5 2/3 innings of work. However, he was done in by five walks and a hit batter.

In the nightcap, C-SC was limited to four hits and no runs over the first five innings while the Pride plated one run in the second inning and four more in the fourth to jump out to a 5-0 lead.

The Wildcats scored their two runs in the sixth inning when Kirk doubled home Oxford, who had reached on an error, and a two-out single by Jordan Scott than plated Kirk.

Clayton Woods went the distance on the mound for the Wildcats, allowing 10 hits and five earned runs. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

The Wildcats and Pride are set to conclude the four-game series with another doubleheader Sunday in Pest. The first game is slated to begin at 1 p.m.