SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri S&T got off to a fast start Sunday by scoring four runs in the first inning, but it was Wayne State's closing act that led to a 17-10 win for the Detroit-based school on the final day of the Heffington Optical Classic at Meador Park.

 

Playing in breezy conditions after an early morning thunderstorm went through the Springfield area, the Miners jumped on Warrior starter Josh Wedesky out of the gate. Brandon Cogan (Missouri City, Texas/Hightower) led off the game with a double, then two batters later, Eaf Redden (Gunter, Texas/Gunter) belted a two-run homer.

 

That was followed by a walk to Will Morrison (Rolla, Mo./Rolla), an infield single by Thomas McCormick (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood), a passed ball to advance the runners and another infield hit off the bat of Drew Davenport (McHenry, Ill./McHenry West) to score Morrison. McCormick would later score on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Vance (Stilwell, Kan./Blue Valley ).

 

Wayne State scored a run in the fourth and three in the fifth to tie the game, then took the lead in the sixth on Scott Martin's two-run homer.

 

S&T rebounded in the see-saw contest and scored three in the bottom half of the inning to reclaim the advantage. Hits by Vance and Cody Bass (Chattanooga, Okla./Chattanooga) and a walk to Matt Grundmann (Grafton, Ill./Jersey Community) loaded the bases, then the Miners got a run when Cogan grounded into a double play. However, Louie Joseph (Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic) doubled to tie the score and Redden followed with an RBI single to give S&T a 7-6 lead.

 

The lead would be short-lived as Wayne State took advantage of a two-out error to score three unearned runs to go up 9-7, but the Miners would answer right back with another three-spot in the bottom of the frame to move back in front.

 

The Miners got hits by McCormick and Davenport to get the first run, then a walk to Vance and another hit by Bass to drove home Davenport. Grundmann reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Vance to score the go-ahead run. 

 

But the lead would come out of the Miners' grasp again as the Warriors scored five times in the eighth, the big blows being a two-run single by Andrew Ciennik and a two-run homer off the bat of Ryan LaPensee. Wayne State added three more in the seventh, getting another two-run shot from Martin along the way.

 

The Warriors scored in each of the last six innings of the contest.

 

The Miners finished with a season-high 17 hits in the game, getting three from Bass and McCormick and two apiece from four others – Cogan, Joseph, Redden and Davenport. Redden drove in three runs with the homer and a single in the sixth.

 

S&T (5-11) will resume play Friday when it opens Great Lakes Valley Conference action with a four-game home series against Indianapolis. The teams will play a single game Friday at 1 p.m.