HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Thomas McCormick (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood) broke the Missouri S&T career record for hits Saturday in the first game of the Miners' doubleheader at Northern Kentucky, highlighting the Miners' 7-5 win in the opening game of the four-game weekend series.

 

Northern Kentucky, which is battling to stay among the top six in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region, won the second game 8-1.

 

McCormick got his record-breaking hit – the 185^th of his career to surpass Clint Moss atop the Miners' all-time list – with a key two-run single in the sixth inning. The hit made the score 6-2, meaning the second run that crossed the plate proved to be the decisive run of the contest.

 

S&T jumped on top in the second with a three-run outburst. Will Morrison opened the inning with a one-out single, then back-to-back walks to Kyle Klabunde (Omaha, Neb./Roncalli Catholic) and Tim Kerouac (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) with two outs loaded the bases. Brandon Cogan (Missouri City, Texas/Hightower) followed with a bases-clearing double to right center to put the Miners into the lead.

 

After the Norse trimmed the lead to 3-2 with a pair of runs off Miner starter Zach Gronek in the third, S&T got one in the fourth when Cogan singled home Andrew Vance (Stilwell, Kan./Blue Valley ) with two outs.

 

The Miners' sixth inning played out similar to the second, as Vance led off with a single and a pair of walks with two outs loaded the bases. McCormick, who was hitless in his first three at-bats of the afternoon, singled through the hole to right to bring in Vance and Cogan. McCormick also drove in another run in the eighth with a hit.

 

NKU got a home run from Kevin Dusold in the eighth and then threatened to tie the score in the ninth before David Birkby (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway West) got Jack Ambrose to hit into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded to end the game.

 

McCormick and Cogan drove in all seven of the Miner runs in game one. Cogan had two hits and four runs batted in, while McCormick drove in three with his two hits. Vance also had two hits for the Miners, who had 11 overall.

 

Andrew Page (Stoney Creek, Ont./Cardinal Newman), who entered the game in the fifth inning and threw 3 2/3 innings, was credited with the win while Birkby had to pitch around an error and a walk to earn his third save of the season.

 

The nightcap didn't start out as well for the Miners, as the Norse posted two runs in the second and three in the third. NKU had four extra base hits in those two innings, three of which drove in runs.

 

The Norse extended that lead with three additional runs in the sixth off losing pitcher Drew Pyles (White Lake, Mich./West Bloomfield).

 

S&T had only four hits off NKU's Dave Middendorf, singles by Cody Bass (Chattanooga, Okla./Chattanooga) in the second, Vance in the fifth, McCormick to lead off the seventh and a double by Drew Davenport (McHenry, Ill./McHenry West) that drove in McCormick to break up the shutout with two outs in the seventh.

 

Elsewhere in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Saturday, Quincy swept its doubleheader Saturday over GLVC West leader Southern Indiana, moving one game ahead of the Miners in the divisional standings as a result.  Meanwhile, Drury and Missouri-St. Louis will not open its four-game series in Springfield until Sunday due to the weather.

 

S&T, Quincy and Drury are battling for the third place spot in the GLVC West and last spot in the conference tournament race.

 

The Miners (18-31-1) and Norse (35-19) will wrap up their four-game series with a doubleheader Sunday.