Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T's baseball team got back on the winning track Saturday afternoon, racking up a 7-1 victory in the opening game of a doubleheader against College of the Ozarks at the S&T Baseball Field and pulling out a 4-3 win in the late innings of the nightcap.

The Miners surrendered a three-run lead in the second game, but got the victory when Kyle Rich (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) delivered a sacrifice fly with one out in the bottom of the sixth to score Eric Van Dyke (Longmont, Colo./Silver Creek) with the winning run.

S&T jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening inning after Will McCord (Kingman, Ariz./Kingman HS) and Michael Lockett (O'Fallon, Mo./Timberland) drew walks to open the game and Will Morrison (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) followed with a two-run double down the line in right.  The Miners would add to the lead in the third with an unearned tally, as Lee Voth-Gaeddert (Hesston, Kan./Hesston HS) singled, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Jake Brower (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland) reached on an error.

The Bobcats (8-13) got on the scoreboard in the fifth, getting their first run on a hit by Dustin Forrest that got past McCord in left, allowing Tyler Lopez to score from first.  Forrest would score later in the inning on a hit by Denton Wolf.

One inning later, the Bobcats staged a rally with two outs to tie the game by getting three straight hits, the last off the bat of Forrest that knotted the score at three.

Nolan Korn (Cedar Hill, Mo./Northwest) took over for starter John Auble (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South) after the hit by Forrest and got the final out of the inning, then was able to pick up the victory in relief after S&T got a run across in its half of the sixth.

Pinch-hitter Andy Hall (Rolla, Mo./Rolla HS) drew a four-pitch walk to start the inning, then Eric Van Dyke (Longmont, Colo./Silver Creek) came into run for Hall and stole second; he moved on to third when the throw went into center field.  Following a strikeout for the first out of the inning, Rich drove a delivery from Bobcat reliever Landon Wilhalm into right that allowed Van Dyke to cross the plate with the go-ahead run.

Harry Dunsford (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) pitched a scoreless seventh to record his second save of the season.

Auble allowed seven hits and struck out three in 5 2/3 innings of work, while Morrison had two of the Miners' four hits on the offensive side.

In game one, the Miners put four runs on the scoreboard in the second inning and cruised to the victory behind the pitching of Zack Gronek (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell).  The Miners got their second inning runs after the first batter was retired, as Brower doubled and scored on a hit by Van Dyke, who would score later in the frame on a wild pickoff throw.

Voth-Gaeddert drove in the other two runs in the second when he blooped a single down the line in left with the bases loaded, scoring Clint Wobbe (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS) and Lockett.

S&T added a run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Hall and two more in the sixth as a throwing error brought one run across the plate and the other scored on an RBI single by Morrison.

Gronek scattered six hits and struck out eight over seven innings, losing his shutout when Forrest led off the seventh with a home run.  S&T outhit the Bobcats 12-8 in the opener as four Miners had two hits apiece.

The Miners, now 7-3 on the year, and Bobcats are scheduled to play again Sunday and the start time has been moved up to 9 a.m., in an effort to play around a high probability of rain in the forecast.