Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 (Springfield, Ill.) – Long balls hurt the Missouri S&T Lady Miners in its 8-7 loss as it gave up three home runs, including a walk-off one in the seventh, in game two of its doubleheader at Illinois-Springfield on Saturday afternoon. S&T won the opener 9-0 in five innings.

The Lady Miners (18-14, 10-8 GLVC) rolled through the first game using an eight run fourth inning to pick up the run rule victory. S&T sent 14 batters to the plate in the decisive inning recording seven hits. Kristen Drage, Coley Naughton, and Becky Davis each drove in a pair of runs in the frame.

That was all the run support Ashley Wallingford needed as she held the Prairie Star (8-22, 3-15 GLVC) bats in check limiting them to two hits in her five innings of work. She allowed just one walk and struck out two to improve to 9-5 on the year.

The Lady Miners banged out nine hits in the contest led by Davis with three and Katie Smith with two.

In the second game S&T got on the board first again loading the bases with one out and Naughton hitting a sacrifice fly to left to score Jennifer Sardigal. The Lady Miners had runners at second and third with two outs but were unable to cash in with a hit.

The lead would be short lived as UIS rallied with two outs in the bottom of the first. Taylor Keal retired the first two hitters on strike outs then walked the number three hitter before giving up a two- run homer to the clean-up hitter.

The lead grew to 6-1 in the second inning as an error with two outs allowed one run to score then Keal gave up a three run homer to push the lead to five.

S&T had opportunities in the third and fourth innings but were unable to come through with a timely hit leaving runners on in both innings. The Lady Miners began to claw back in the fifth scoring four times as Drage and Maggie Schroeder each hit run scoring doubles in the inning. Smith made it a one run game with her single to drive in Schroeder.

S&T tied the game in the sixth on Sardigal's double driving in Krista Porterfield from first. An error by the shortstop allowed Sardigal to score and give S&T a 7-6 lead.

Wallingford, who came on in relief for Keal in the second, worked out of a jam in the sixth allowing the tying run to get to third with nobody out before getting a pair of strikeouts and a pop up to get out of the inning.

She wouldn't be so lucky in the seventh though as she gave up a lead-off double and then a two-run homer to end the game.

The Prairie Star offense had six hits in the game, five of which went for extra bases in the win.

The Lady Miners had nine hits in game two led by Sardigal and Drage with two each.

Wallingford pitched the final 4.1 innings giving up two runs on three hits while striking out four to fall to 9-6 on the season. Keal pitched the first 1.2 innings and gave up six runs, two earned, on three hits while striking out three but issued four free passes.

S&T returns to action on Sunday afternoon playing a doubleheader at Quincy beginning at 12 p.m.