Missouri S&T wasted a solid starting effort by Brandon Cogan (Missouri City, Texas/Hightower) in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader with Drury, then saw its rally from a nine-run deficit fall a run short in the nightcap as the Panthers took the two games by scores of 3-1 and 9-8.

 

Cogan allowed only four hits and struck out seven in a complete game effort in the opener, but errors in both of the innings that the Panthers scored and the Miners' own offensive struggles sent S&T to defeat on a brisk afternoon at the S&T Baseball Field.

 

The Miners did stake him to a lead in the first, as Andrew Vance (Stilwell, Kan./Blue Valley ) hit a high hopper over the head of third baseman Joel Potts to the start the frame. Cogan sacrificed him to third and Thomas McCormick (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood) drove Vance home on a fielder's choice.

 

Drury tied the game with an unearned run in the third that scored on an error with two outs, then another error contributed to the go-ahead run in the sixth.

 

After Bret Gallion led off with an infield hit – both of Drury's hits to that point off Cogan were infield singles – a throwing error on a bunt allowed Gallion to go to third. Moments later, a balk brought him home and the Panthers would add another run in the sixth on a fielder's choice off the bat of Joe Rohlfing.

 

S&T got the tying run to the plate in the seventh after McCormick led off the inning with a hit, but a double play ended the threat and the game.

 

Cogan gave up only one hit that went out of the infield, but was outdueled by Drury's Harrison Waters, who gave up only three hits and fanned seven in his complete game performance.

 

In game two, the Panthers jumped on top when Tyler Goss hit a two-run homer in the first off Zach Gronek and carried that two-run advantage into an explosive seventh inning that saw the two teams combine for 15 runs against seven pitchers.

 

The inning started with an opposite field single by Drury's Tyler Wright, then with one out, Kendall Findley singled home a run to extend the lead to 3-0. R.J. Knese followed by greeting S&T reliever Jordan Buck (Pacific, Mo./Pacific) with a three-run homer to double the Panther advantage.

 

Drury added three more runs before the inning ended to take a 9-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but the Miners – who had been held to one hit by Stephen Bloss through the first six innings – broke loose themselves in the bottom half of the inning.

 

Following a leadoff walk to McCormick, Cody Bass (Chattanooga, Okla./Chattanooga) and Will Morrison (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) delivered back-to-back triples to get the first two runs on the board. Pinch-hitter Chris Kruppe (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) drove in Morrison with a ground out, then S&T loaded the bases with a hit and two walks and scored again when Cogan singled through the hole to right.

 

After Evan Jones, Drury's third pitcher of the inning, got Eaf Redden (Gunter, Texas/Gunter) to foul out, McCormick slammed a pitch over the fence in left center to bring the Miners to within a run at 9-8.

 

S&T got its leadoff hitter on base in both the eighth and ninth innings, but stranded Morrison at third in the eighth and Vance at second in the ninth to see its rally fall short.

 

McCormick and Morrison had two hits apiece for S&T, who had seven in the contest.

 

The Miners (10-23, 3-4 GLVC West) will return to the field Friday when they open a four-game series at Missouri-St. Louis.