A night after a strong offensive performance to open a series against Missouri-St. Louis, the Chargers struggled at the plate in a 5-2 loss to the Tritons to even up the series on Saturday.

In a contest played on the campus on Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Hillsdale mustered just four hits and struck out 16 times as the Chargers couldn't find the answer to UMSL's pitching staff. Defensively, Hillsdale also held the Tritons largely in check but were let down by two costly errors that allowed UMSL to score three unearned runs in the first four innings.

Hillsdale got on the board in the fifth inning, as Logan Dichler doubled down the right field line to kick start the Chargers offense, and later scored on a bases-loaded walk after Hillsdale took advantage of control issues from UMSL's starter to load the bases.

That cut the deficit to 3-1, and Hillsdale crept closer in the top of the seventh, as another leadoff double by Billy Porotsky and a single by Aaron Jasiak gave the Chargers the tools it needed to manufacture a second one on a RBI groundout by Gaard Swenson. The Chargers were unable to tie the game up despite having a runner at third base later in the seventh, and UMSL took advantage, plating two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull away for good.

Hillsdale managed just one baserunner in the eighth and ninth, and it wasn't enough to rally from a 5-2 deficit.

Brenden Smith (1-2) was a hard-luck loser for the Chargers, pitching six quality innings with 10 strikeouts and one walk, with all three of the runs scored against him unearned. Isaac Scavarda also pitched in relief for the Chargers, and Hayden Hoffpauir finished the game with one and two-thirds innings of scoreless, hitless relief, striking out all five batters he faced.

Hillsdale falls to 4-8 with the loss, and will play UMSL again in a series decider back in Edwardsville on Sunday.