CHATHAM, Ill. – Zach Carter (Perkins, Okla./Perkins-Tryon)'s grand slam highlighted a big third inning that propelled Missouri S&T to a 13-1 win in the opener of Sunday's 13-1 opening game win over Illinois-Springfield – earning a record-tying mark for pitcher Zack Gronek (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) -- but the Miners couldn't overcome a six-run second inning posted by the Prairie Stars in the nightcap and had to settle for a split with the 7-5 setback.

The split puts the Miners at 10-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and 17-14 overall heading into a key week of conference play, as S&T is scheduled to face Drury in a doubleheader Tuesday in Springfield, Mo., then returns home for a four-game weekend series with GLVC West Division leader Quincy starting Friday.

After two relatively quiet innings to start the doubleheader, the Miners got rolling after the first hitter was retired in the third. Back-to-back opposite field singles by Will McCord (Kingman, Ariz./Kingman HS) and Josh Caffrey (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington HS) preceded an RBI single off the bat of Lee Voth-Gaeddert (Hesston, Kan./Hesston HS) that put the Miners in the lead.

 Ben Pieper (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, then Carter cleared them with a blast over the fence in left center that put the Miners up 5-0. Carter's grand slam was the first by a Miner this season.

S&T continued to add to its lead for the remainder of the contest, scoring in the fourth on an RBI single by Caffrey and  twice in the fifth as Clint Wobbe (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS) drove home a run and Drew Davenport (McHenry, Ill./McHenry West) stole home on an aborted double steal. In the sixth, a throwing error by the shortstop allowed Voth-Gaeddert to cross the plate, then the Miners tacked on four more runs in the ninth.

Gronek, a junior lefthander, was the recipient of the run support to pick up his sixth win of the season, tying the S&T single-season mark for wins in a year. He pitched the first eight innings and allowed only six hits; UIS got its only run in the sixth inning with three of those six hits.

Voth-Gaeddert had three of S&T's 12 hits in the first game victory.

But in the nightcap, the Miners were unable to hold onto a 2-0 lead it gained in the top of the second as the Prairie Stars put six runs on the board in the bottom of the frame.

S&T broke on top as Pieper led off with an infield hit and reached third on a double by Carter. Davenport's sacrifice fly scored Pieper, then Carter crossed the plate on a throwing error as Grant Brasher (Bridgeton, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit)'s ball to the first baseman was thrown in the dirt to allow him to score.

However, the five of the six batters for UIS in the second that Miner starter Alex Dunn (Independence, Mo./Truman) faced reached base, with Trevor Johnson's two-run single putting the Prairie Stars in the lead. Nolan Korn (Cedar Hill, Mo./Northwest) replaced Dunn after the hit by Johnson and was greeted by an RBI double by Matt Cmiel, who would score moments later on a sacrifice fly.

UIS got another run across in the third before Kyle Robertson (Granite City, Ill./Granite City) took over in the fourth and held UIS hitless over the next three innings, retiring the last eight batters he faced.

The Miners got one run back in the fourth as Pieper led off with another infield hit, moved up on a wild pitch and a stolen base, then scored on Carter's ground out.   S&T would draw closer in the fifth by putting two more runs on the board, as Caffrey drove in one with a hit and McCord stole home a double steal to make it 7-5.

But after stranding Caffrey at second in the fifth, the Miners got the tying runs on base in both the sixth and seventh innings but couldn't push across another run against a pair of UIS relievers.

The Miners finished game two with seven hits, getting two apiece from Caffrey, Pieper and Carter. Dunn took the loss on the hill for Missouri S&T.

S&T and Drury will meet up at Meador Park in Springfield Tuesday beginning at 3 p.m.