Missouri S&T's effort to salvage a split of Friday's doubleheader fell short as the Miners stranded the tying run on third in the bottom of the seventh in a 6-5 loss to Henderson State at the S&T Baseball Field.

 

The Reddies won game one 9-3, scoring four unearned runs in a five-run fourth inning to break a 2-2 tie.

 

The Miners built a 3-0 lead in the nightcap, scoring in the first inning on a two-out single by Brandon Cogan (Missouri City, Texas/Hightower) and adding two in the second when Eaf Redden (Gunter, Texas/Gunter) delivered a two-run single, also with two out in the inning.

 

S&T starter Andrew Page (Stoney Creek, Ont./Cardinal Newman) cruised through the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth after giving up a leadoff hit to Kendal Norman. The Reddies loaded the bases, then scored two runs on a passed ball and tied the game moments later on a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Dooley.

 

The game stayed tied into the sixth, when another bizarre play allowed the Reddies to take the lead. With runners on first and second, Page struck out Cody Duncan on a pitch in the dirt. However, the batter was not called out due to the ball hitting the ground, then Duncan collided with first baseman Cogan as Kyle Klabunde (Omaha, Neb./Roncalli Catholic)'s throw arrived; the ball got away and pinch-runner Adam Ussery came in with the go-ahead run.

 

Henderson State added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh, but the Miners got an opportunity in the bottom half after an error allowed leadoff hitter Andrew Vance (Stilwell, Kan./Blue Valley ) to reach.  Louie Joseph (Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic) followed with a double down the line, then Redden slammed a double into the gap to score both runners and cut the lead to one.

 

However, HSU pitcher Chris Brown managed to escape the jam by getting a lineout, a ground out and a strikeout to close the game.

 

Page took the loss for the Miners despite allowing only three hits and striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Redden had two hits and drove in four for S&T in the nightcap, while Joseph also had two hits.

 

In game one, the Miners took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI double by Cody Bass (Chattanooga, Okla./Chattanooga), but the Reddies put two on the board in the third to take the lead. S&T tied the score in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double by Redden.

 

The Reddies took advantage of two errors in the fourth to put five runs on the board to take a 7-2 lead, then added two more in the seventh after the Miners got one of the runs back in the fourth on an error.

 

S&T had just six hits in the first contest as Jordan Buck (Pacific, Mo./Pacific) suffered the loss on the mound.

 

The Miners (3-3) are scheduled to face Augustana Sunday at noon. 

 

NOTE: Saturday's scheduled doubleheader between Augustana and Henderson State at the S&T Baseball Field was cancelled due to the cold weather forecasted for Saturday.