Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROLLA, Mo. – Despite an early start to the day, Missouri S&T's baseball team came away with two more victories on Sunday as it rallied for a 4-3 win in the first game against College of the Ozarks, then rode Kyle Robertson (Granite City, Ill./Granite City)'s four-hit shutout in the nightcap to complete the series sweep with a 4-0 win.

The Miners rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the opener with just four outs remaining in the opener – a game that started just after 9 a.m. to get ahead of approaching rains to the region – tying the game in the eighth on an RBI single by Josh Caffrey (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington HS) and winning it thanks to two errors on the Bobcats in the bottom of the ninth.

S&T jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening inning by using some small-ball in the damp conditions.  Michael Lockett (O'Fallon, Mo./Timberland) bunted his way on to start the game, then following a wild pitch, Eric Van Dyke (Longmont, Colo./Silver Creek)'s bunt was mishandled by the third baseman to put runners on the corners.  Lee Voth-Gaeddert (Hesston, Kan./Hesston HS) hit a sacrifice fly to put S&T in front, then a squeeze bunt later in the inning by Caffrey brought home the second run.

The Miners had two runners on base in the third as well, but were unable to add to a lead that had been sliced in half in the top of the inning, then struggled offensively over the next five innings against Bobcat starter Joel Harrington.

In the meantime, College of the Ozarks tied the game in the fourth, then took the lead in the seventh on a two-out RBI single off the bat of Josh Maynard.

S&T's first two batters were retired by Harrington to start the bottom of the eighth, but Andy Hall (Rolla, Mo./Rolla HS) laced a double down the line in left to get into scoring position.  Caffrey followed with a hit past the first baseman that allowed Hall to score the tying run.

Drew Pyles (White Lake, Mich./West Bloomfield), who entered the game in the eighth inning, got a double play ball to get S&T out of the ninth, then the Miners took advantage of some mistakes by the Bobcat defense in the bottom half to win it.

Willy Hoey took over for Harrington – who threw 109 pitches in his eight innings – and walked Will Morrison (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) with one out.   After a strikeout for the second out, Hoey made a wild pickoff throw to allow pinch runner Michael Boxell (O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt North) to reach second.  Lockett followed by chopping a ball to third, but the throw to first was wild and Boxell came around to score the game-winning run.

S&T starter Chris Bowe (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) scattered four hits over six innings in his start, while Pyles got the victory in relief to even his record at 1-1.  Hall had three of the Miners' eight hits in the opener while Kyle Rich (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) had two.

Robertson was the story in game two as he held the Bobcats to only four hits and striking out five in an efficient outing.  He threw only 85 pitches in his complete game effort in a game that lasted just one hour and 13 minutes.

The Miners got Robertson the only run he would need in the third after Clint Wobbe (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS) reached on an error, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error on the play, then scored on Boxell's double into the gap in left center.

The Bobcats had a threat in the fourth when two hitters reached with two outs, but Robertson got Dustin Forrest to ground out to end that inning and again in the fifth, but a double play got him out of trouble as well.

S&T tacked on three runs in the sixth for insurance, the first two scoring when Hall singled with the bases loaded to score Lockett and Morrison.  Caffrey executed a perfect suicide squeeze moments after that for the third run of the frame.

The Miners outhit the Bobcats 6-4 with Voth-Gaeddert and Hall getting two hits apiece.

Missouri S&T, now 9-3 on the year, will head to the road for the first time in the 2012 campaign on Wednesday when it plays a single game at Lincoln University in Jefferson City.  Game time will be at noon.  The Miners will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play Saturday at home against the University of Indianapolis.