Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T took a pair of games from Illinois Springfield Sunday afternoon at the S&T Baseball Field, winning by scores of 1-0 and 7-2 to complete a sweep of the four-game weekend set with the Prairie Stars.

The Miners, who extended their winning streak to seven games with the victories, pulled out game one by scoring the only run of the game in the sixth inning, then carried that momentum into the nightcap as they banged out 16 hits for the victory.  The series sweep comes on the eve of a critical 12-game stretch for the Miners that begins with a doubleheader Tuesday against Drury in Springfield, Mo.

The opener was a pitcher's duel between the Miners' Chris Bowe (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) and UIS' Stephen Siegel, as the two matched scoreless innings into the sixth.  The Prairie Stars bailed Siegel out of three of the first five innings with double plays, while Bowe induced a pair of twin-killings himself, including a 1-2-3 double play off the bat of Jesus Gonzalez with the bases loaded and nobody out in the fourth.

S&T finally broke through against Siegel in the sixth inning, which began with a leadoff single from Clint Wobbe (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS).  Following a sacrifice bunt and a ground out that advanced Wobbe to third, Siegel walked Michael Lockett (O'Fallon, Mo./Timberland) – who had hits in both of his previous at-bats – on a full count pitch.  Lee Voth-Gaeddert (Hesston, Kan./Hesston HS) followed by banging a single past the shortstop to score Wobbe with the only run of the game.

Bowe turned things over to Harry Dunsford (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) in the seventh and the junior closer pitched around a leadoff walk to record his eighth save.

Bowe gave up only four hits and struck out two as he picked up his first victory of the season.  Lockett had two of the Miners' five hits as they outhit UIS 5-4 in game one.

S&T carried the late offense into the early innings of game two, scoring twice in the opening inning off Barry Arnett, a pitcher who beat the Miners a year ago in Springfield, Ill.

With two outs, Voth-Gaeddert singled to the opposite field and stole second, then Andy Hall (Rolla, Mo./Rolla HS) hit a ball into the right field corner to score him.  Moments later, Hall came home on a hit by Josh Caffrey (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington HS).

S&T added a run in the third on a double by Voth-Gaeddert, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Hall and another tally in the fifth when Eric Van Dyke (Longmont, Colo./Silver Creek) singled, moved to second on a wild pickoff throw and scored when Lockett reached on an error.

UIS got on the scoreboard in the sixth off S&T starter and winner Kyle Robertson (Granite City, Ill./Granite City), but the Miners got two more runs in the bottom of that inning on a successful squeeze bunt by Sam Adams (Forsyth, Mo./Forsyth) and an RBI single by Kyle Rich (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South).  The Miners' final run scored in the seventh when Hall singled home Voth-Gaeddert who had tripled with one out.

Robertson threw the first six innings on a hot afternoon and gave up five hits and one unearned run while striking out a season-high seven.  Three relievers – Nolan Korn (Cedar Hill, Mo./Northwest), Drew Pyles (White Lake, Mich./West Bloomfield) and Ian Smith (Wichita, Kan./Wichita Independent) – all threw an inning apiece to close out the game.

S&T finished the nightcap with 16 hits, getting three apiece from Voth-Gaeddert and Caffrey.  Hall drove in three runs with his two hits and the sacrifice fly.  S&T, ranked 12^th in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association rankings, improved to 19-4 overall and are atop the Great Lakes Valley Conference's West Division with a 9-1 record.

The Miners' doubleheader Tuesday at Drury will begin at 3 p.m. at Meador Park, which will be followed by a four-game series on Friday and Saturday at Quincy.