CLARKSVILLE, Ark. – UST baseball team hit the road and split a doubleheader against Ozarks on Friday, taking Game 1 in dominant fashion before dropping Game 2. With the split, the Celts move to 17-12 overall and 15-7 in conference.

Game 1: UST 12, Ozarks 2
The Celts came out swinging in Game 1, putting up a four-run third inning sparked by Dalton McKee's three-run homer to left center. McKee's blast brought home three unearned runs and gave UST a 4-0 lead.

St. Thomas continued to add on throughout the game, with AJ Gonzales driving in another run in the sixth and a flurry of scoring in the seventh. A wild pitch and a sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 7-0 before Gabe Garner knocked an RBI single through the left side.

Ozarks responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Celts shut the door with three more in the final two innings. Ryan Ratajczak belted a solo homer in the ninth, and McKee capped off the scoring with a bases-loaded walk. McKee finished the game with five RBIs.

Game 2: Ozarks 5, UST 1
In the second game of the doubleheader, Ozarks took advantage of defensive miscues to jump ahead early. A pair of errors in the second inning led to three unearned runs, including a two-run homer.

Ozarks added single runs in the third and fourth to stretch their lead to 5-0. St. Thomas got on the board in the fifth when Jarod Smith drove in a run on a fielder's choice, scoring Sam Lampson. However, the Celts couldn't generate any more offense and settled for the split.

Up Next:
St. Thomas wraps up the series against Ozarks with a single game on Saturday at 1 p.m. Follow @USTCeltbaseball for live updates.