(Rolla, Mo.) – The Missouri S&T Miners clinched the GLVC West Division crown sweeping past Missouri-St. Louis 4-0 and 8-6 on Sunday in Rolla. It marks the first time since 1972 that the Miners have won any sort of conference championship in baseball.

Chris Bowe (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) pitched a gem of ball game in the opener as he limited the Triton (14-30, 9-21 GLVC) offense to just two hits and one walk in his complete game shutout. He allowed only two runners to get to second and needed just 87 pitches to complete the win.

The Miner (28-15, 21-7 GLVC) offense gave Bowe all the runs he needed in the first inning. Will McCord (Kingman, Ariz./Kingman HS) and Drew Davenport (McHenry, Ill./McHenry West) opened the game with back-to-back singles. Josh Caffrey (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington HS) moved the runners up to second and third with a sacrifice bunt to first. Ben Pieper (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic) put S&T on top with a single up the middle to score McCord and advanced Davenport to third. Lee Voth-Gaeddert (Hesston, Kan./Hesston HS) then lifted a fly ball down the left field line that the left fielder caught with a head long dive. Davenport scored on the play but Pieper was doubled off of first to end the inning.

The Miners added to their lead with two more in the sixth. Davenport started it off with a double over the center fielder's head. He scored on Pieper's triple to left to make it 3-0. Pieper then scored on Voth-Gaeddert's smash to short for the final run.

S&T pounded out hit eight hits in the contest led by Davenport with three and Pieper had two. Pieper and Voth-Gaeddert drove in all four runs.

In the second game the Miners scored four in the first to take the early advantage. Davenport started the inning with a one out single then moved to third on a throwing error by the pitcher. Caffrey singled to second bringing in Davenport. Pieper walked then Voth-Gaeddert singled back up the middle to bring home Caffrey as Pieper advanced to third. Pieper scored on a passed ball. Zach Carter (Perkins, Okla./Perkins-Tryon) dropped a bunt down the first base line to set up runners on the corner. Grant Brasher (Bridgeton, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit) executed a perfect squeeze play bunting down the first base line to bring home Voth-Gaeddert.

UMSL tied the game with four in the second on six hits. At one point in the inning the Tritons had four hits in five at-bats. Justin Lois tied the game with a bases loaded single back up the middle. He almost gave them the lead put Pieper gunned down Brian McCulloch at the plate for the final out of the frame.

It remained tied until the bottom of the third when S&T took advantage of some porous defense by UMSL. With one out, Voth-Gaeddert and Carter singled back-to-back to put runners at the corner with one out. The go-ahead run scored on an error by the second baseman. A passed ball by Joel Ayala moved the runners up to second and third. Carter scored on a wild pitch then Nick Burke (Good Hope, Ill./West Prairie HS) drove in Brasher with another squeeze bunt and fielding error by the first baseman.

The Tritons got one back in the fourth, but the Miners answered that run with one in the fifth to regain the three run cushion. UMSL got one more in the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but didn't score.

Alex Dunn (Independence, Mo./Truman) improved to 4-4 pitching the first five innings. He allowed five runs, four earned, on 10 hits against one walk and struck out two. Drew Pyles (White Lake, Mich./West Bloomfield) threw two scoreless innings. Nolan Korn (Cedar Hill, Mo./Northwest) pitched the eighth allowing one run on one hit against one walk. Harry Dunsford (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) allowed a lead-off double in the ninth before retiring the next three hitters to record his sixth save.

UMSL outhit the Miners 14-10 but committed five errors to just three miscues by the Miners. Voth-Gaeddert had three hits in game two. Caffrey, Carter and Clint Wobbe (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS) had two hits apiece. Brasher drove in two runs.

The Miners will be the second seed in the GLVC Tournament which begins this Thursday in St. Louis. They will play the seventh seed, which is to be announced, at 12:30 p.m., at the Missouri-St. Louis baseball field.