It’s the biggest series of the season for the UMass baseball team, and the Minutemen opened with a doubleheader split against Atlantic 10-leading Saint Louis on Friday at Earl Lorden Field in Amherst.

UMass fell, 8-3, in game one before claiming a 6-0 shutout victory in game two.

The Minutemen improved to 23-27 and 12-11 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, while the Billikens moved to 37-13 and 16-7 in the league. Both teams are jockeying for postseason tournament positioning.

In Game 1, the Billikens scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning and captured an 8-3 win.

Renn Lints took the loss for UMass, tossing 5 1/3 innings while allowing nine hits on five runs. Lints struck out two and walked two in the outing.

Matt Travisano and Braden Sullivan had two hits apiece for the Minutemen, which scored a run on a Nick Tichy RBI single in the fifth then tacked on two more in the bottom of the ninth on a passed ball and a Sullivan RBI single.

With the Minutemen in need of a win, Amherst native Justin Masteralexis saved the day in Game 2.

Masteralexis tossed seven innings and allowed only two hits and two walks while striking out five to lift UMass to the 6-0 win.

Kevin Skagerlind and Gervasi had two hits each, with Austin Burgess, Hanson, Travisano and Jack Beverly totaling one apiece. Skagerlind led the team with three runs, while Gervasi had a team-best two RBI on the day. Hanson, Beverly and Sullivan all recorded one RBI.

The series concludes on Saturday with a noon game back at Lorden Field.