By: Luke Rinne, Assistant Sports Information Director
Box Score (Memphis, Tenn.) – The Missouri S&T Lady Miners had a pair of six run leads that it couldn't hold on to as Christian Brothers rallied to win 13-12 in eight innings and send the Lady Miners to their eighth straight loss on Thursday in Memphis, Tenn. In their second game on Thursday they lost to 11th ranked Arkansas-Monticello 5-0.
S&T (1-10) got off to a great start sending 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs in the opening frame. It's first seven batters reached base safely before an out was recorded. Kassi Deibert (Highland, Ill./Highland), Kaylea Smith (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs), Kate Runyan (Crown Point, Ind./Boone Grove) and Jennifer Sardigal (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) combined to drive in five of the six runs. Sardigal hit a two-run double to center capping the scoring.
Christian Brothers (6-7) answered back with three of its own in the bottom of the inning getting a pair of RBI singles. The Buccaneers added another run in the second to get within 6-4.
After a scoreless third the Lady Miners pushed its lead back to six with a four-run fourth. Sardigal drove in her third run of the afternoon with a bunt single to make it 8-4, and then Jamie Hatlan (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit ) doubled down the left field line driving in Lauren Briggs (LaMonte, Mo./Knob Noster) and Sardigal.
S&T had a chance to widen its lead in the fifth but left the bases loaded. CBU took advantage of the opportunity scoring five times in the home half of the inning with the big blow being a three-run homer to right-center off the bat of Kayla Brewer.
The Bucs tied it in the sixth on a RBI double to left center by Marie Joiner.
The Lady Miners had a chance to regain the lead in the seventh loading the bases with two outs but couldn't come through with the key hit.
Christian Brothers had a chance to win the game in its half of the seventh putting runners at first and second with two outs but Kristen Drage (Morganfield, Ky./Union County ) got a ground ball back to her to get out of the inning.
S&T regained the lead in the top of the eighth on Maggie Schroeder (Bonner Springs, Kan./Basehor-Linwood)'s two-run homer to left center to make it 12-10.
The Bucs tied the game in the bottom half of the inning on a throwing error and a sacrifice fly and then won the game on Brewer's apparent walk-off three-run homer but was credited with only a double as the runner from first abandoned the base paths before scoring which became the third out.
Runyan and Sardigal had three hits apiece to lead the Lady Miners. Five other players had two hits as the team finished the contest with 16 hits.
Drage suffered the loss allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits against one walk.
In the nightcap against the Cotton Blossoms (17-1) the game was scoreless through the first two frames before the Blossoms hung a four spot on the board in the home half of the third. S&T had a chance to get out of the frame with no damage but a throwing error allowed a pair of runs to score then Faith Lund hit a two-run double to drive in the other two.
The Lady Miners threatened in the sixth putting two on with two outs but couldn't score.
UAM added to its lead with one in the home half of the sixth.
S&T had only three hits in the contest. Taylor Keal (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South) took the loss pitching a complete game allowing all five runs, one earned, on nine hits with two strikeouts and three walks.
The Lady Miners open the home portion of their 2011 schedule on Saturday as they begin GLVC play against Kentucky Wesleyan beginning at 12 p.m.
