Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T used a pair of come-from-behind efforts Saturday to sweep a doubleheader from the University of Illinois Springfield, winning by scores of 6-4 and 8-3 at the S&T Baseball Field in the front half of the four-game weekend series.

In both games, the Miners fell behind the Prairie Stars, but came right back in bottom half of the inning to take the lead for good.  S&T trailed 3-0 in the second inning of game one before scoring four times in the bottom of the inning, then after falling behind 2-1 in the fifth inning of the nightcap, scored four times in their half of the fifth to move ahead.

The Prairie Stars got their three runs in the second inning of the opener on a sacrifice fly by Jesus Gonzales and a two-run homer off the bat of Ryan Walsh.  However, S&T answered immediately in the bottom of the second, beginning with an infield single off the bat of Jake Brower (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland).

A throwing error on the play advanced Brower to second, then Zach Siegel (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview) reached base with a bunt single and stole second.  Clint Wobbe (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS) doubled to score Brower, then Eric Van Dyke (Longmont, Colo./Silver Creek) doubled past third to score Siegel and Wobbe to tie the score.  Following a hit by Will McCord (Kingman, Ariz./Kingman HS), Michael Lockett (O'Fallon, Mo./Timberland) hit a sacrifice fly to score Van Dyke with the go-ahead run.

Zack Gronek (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) settled in after getting the lead and allowed just one hit after the second inning as he pitched into the ninth.  The Miners gave him some insurance with a run in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Josh Caffrey (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington HS) and Brower and another run in the eighth when Siegel followed a leadoff triple by Brower with an RBI single.

Gronek, who improved to 6-1 and got his Missouri S&T-record 20^th career win on Saturday in the process, allowed just five hits and struck out six over eight-plus innings before turning the game over to Harry Dunsford (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville), who retired all three hitters he faced to set a record of his own with his seventh save of the season.

The Miners outhit the Prairie Stars 15-5 in the opener, with Andy Hall (Rolla, Mo./Rolla HS) and Brower getting three hits apiece.  Brower would finish the doubleheader with seven hits by going four-of-four in the nightcap.

In that second game, the Miners scored in the opening inning when Hall hit a sacrifice fly to score McCord.  The score stayed that way until the fifth as S&T starter John Auble (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South) faced the minimum through the first four innings.

However, in the fifth, the Prairie Stars loaded the bases with three hits that never left the infield.  An infield single by Nate Blessman, followed by bunt singles by Tyler Lau and Will Pufundt filled the bases, then Gonzales drew a one-out walk to force in a run.  Walsh followed with a hit through the hole between third and short to put UIS on top, but Auble got Trevor Johnson to hit into an inning-ending double play to escape the jam.

S&T started its rally in the bottom of the inning with a one-out double by Lee Voth-Gaeddert (Hesston, Kan./Hesston HS).  With two outs, Caffrey hit a high-hopper that went off the glove of the shortstop and rolled into left field, which allowed Voth-Gaeddert to score.  Brower followed by hitting a smash past the third baseman to bring home Caffrey with the go-ahead run.

Reed Brown (Rogers, Ark./Heritage) greeted UIS reliever Seth Warren by hitting his first pitch to the fence for a double to score Brower, then Colin Coan (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./South St. Paul) followed with another double to make it 5-2.

The Prairie Stars got a run back in the sixth, but S&T put three more on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the frame, getting the runs on a squeeze bunt by Caffrey, an RBI double by Brower and an RBI single by Brown.

Auble saw his record improve to 5-0, while Josh Raburn (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep) and Van Dyke got the final four outs to preserve the win.

S&T had 14 hits in the nightcap to seven for UIS, with Voth-Gaeddert, Hall and Brown all getting two hits each to go along with the four recorded by Brower.

The Miners, currently ranked 12^th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll for Division II, improved to 17-4 overall and 7-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference with the sweep and have won 12 of their last 13 games.  S&T and UIS (5-18, 0-10 GLVC) will face off in another doubleheader Sunday beginning at noon.