ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Missouri S&T's hopes of reaching the Great Lakes Valley Conference Baseball Tournament are teetering on the edge, as the Miners split a doubleheader at Missouri-St. Louis for the second straight day and now need help on Monday to have a chance to make the eight-team field.

After winning 11-5 in the first game, the Miners dropped the second game to the Tritons 11-6 as UMSL scored all 11 of its runs in its final four innings at the plate. The split leaves the Miners behind Rockhurst for third place in the GLVC West and the final playoff spot available. Rockhurst swept a doubleheader at Maryville Sunday and can lock up the final spot by winning at least once over the Saints when the teams meet for a twinbill Monday.

The Miners will make the GLVC Tournament only if the Saints sweep Monday's doubleheader.

Quincy, the third team in the mix for the last playoff spot when the day started, was eliminated with its losses in both games Sunday to division leader Southern Indiana coupled with the Miners' first game win.

After spotting the Tritons a run in the first inning of game one, S&T exploded for eight runs in the top of the second to take control of the contest. The rally started when Zach Carter (Perkins, Okla./Perkins-Tryon) was hit by a pitch to start the frame, then Matt Kempin (Wichita, Kan./Trinity Academy) singled and Drew Davenport (McHenry, Ill./McHenry West) belted a three-run homer to left to give the Miners a 3-1 lead.

Caleb Smith (Calgary, Alta./Central Memorial ) followed Davenport's homer with a hit, then Zac Helton (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette) doubled and Tim Kerouac (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) delivered a sacrifice fly to bring home Smith. Heton, who went to third on the play, scored on Hunter Scheib (Lawrence, Kan./Free State)'s ground out.

Sam Adams (Forsyth, Mo./Forsyth) struck out, but a wild pitch on strike three allowed him to reach base and keep the inning alive. S&T took advantage of the extra chance, as Will Morrison (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) reached on an error and Carter drove in both runners with a double to the opposite field. Carter scored the Miners' eighth run of the inning moments later on a hit by Kempin.

The Tritons responded by scoring four in the bottom half of the inning off S&T starter Chris Bowe (Rolla, Mo./Rolla), but Andrew Page (Stoney Creek, Ont./Cardinal Newman) entered the game when UMSL came to bat in the third and held it only one hit over the next five innings. He also fanned eight to pick up the win in relief.

S&T added to its lead with a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Davenport, then tacked on two more in the sixth when Morrison hit an inside-the-park home run with a man on. Morrison was able to circle the bases after UMSL's centerfielder and right fielder collided trying to track down his drive into the gap in right center.

Morrison, Kempin and Davenport all had two hits apiece for the Miners, who outhit the Tritons 9-6 in the opener. Davenport drove in four runs on his two hits, while Morrison and Carter each drove in two.

In the second game, the Miners jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first three innings. S&T got on the board in the opening frame when Davenport walked with one out and came around to score after back-to-back singles by Morrison and Carter. The same trio was in on the scoring in the third as well, as Morrison belted a two-run homer after Davenport reached on an infield single, then Carter followed Morrison's homer with one of his own.

Miner starter Kyle Robertson (Granite City, Ill./Granite City) blanked the Tritons over the first four innings, but ran into trouble after retiring the first batter in the fifth. The Tritons got three consecutive hits, with a passed ball mixed in, to get their first run, then cut the lead to one when Erik Walk doubled in a pair with two outs.

UMSL tied the game in the sixth with an unearned run after a dropped fly ball with two outs in the inning, then took the lead by scoring three times in the seventh – with the entire rally starting after the first two hitters were retired.

S&T got one of the runs back in the eighth when Smith drove home Louie Joseph (Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic), but UMSL scored four more in the eighth. Adams doubled in a run in the ninth for the final Miner tally.

The Miners (19-33, 14-18 GLVC) were outhit 15-9 in the second game, as Morrison, Carter and Kempin all had two hits apiece. Harry Dunsford (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) took the loss in relief.