Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T got a big performance from Lee Voth-Gaeddert (Hesston, Kan./Hesston HS), while Zack Gronek (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) threw a complete game and broke the school's all-time strikeout record in the process to lead the Miners to a 9-2 win over Rockhurst in the first game of Monday's make-up doubleheader at the S&T Baseball Field.  The Hawks salvaged a split by taking the nightcap by a 7-1 count.

Voth-Gaeddert had three hits and drove in a career-high five runs in the opener, hitting his first homer in his Miner career along the way.  He also made a spectacular defensive play in the game as well, making a diving catch in center that triggered an inning-ending double play in the third inning.

He drove in the Miners' first run in the opening inning, following  a leadoff double by Will McCord (Kingman, Ariz./Kingman HS) and a bunt single by Michael Lockett (O'Fallon, Mo./Timberland) with a sacrifice fly, then had a hand in three other innings the Miners scored in later in the contest.

In the fourth, after Rockhurst tied the game in the top half of the inning on T.J. Dailey's RBI ground out, Lockett was hit by a pitch to open the inning and Voth-Gaeddert followed with an opposite field single.  After a one-out infield hit by Josh Caffrey (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington HS), Jake Brower (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland) delivered a sacrifice fly to put S&T back in front.

Reed Brown (Rogers, Ark./Heritage) followed that with another hit to the opposite field to score Voth-Gaeddert and give S&T a 3-1 lead.  Voth-Gaeddert would extend the lead to 4-1 in the fifth when he single home McCord, who doubled with one out in the frame.

Rockhurst trimmed the lead with a run in the seventh, but the Miners answered right back when Josh Caffrey (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington HS) slammed a double down the left field line to score two runs, then Voth-Gaeddert finished the scoring by belting a three-run homer in the eighth.

Caffrey also had three hits for the Miners, who outhit the Hawks 11-10 in game one.  Gronek went the distance to improve his record to 8-1 and struck out eight to match his season high.  In addition, the eight strikeouts allowed him to pass Andrew Page for the all-time S&T record with 186 in his four-year Miner career.

The nightcap belonged to Rockhurst righthander Mark Sappington, who fired a five-hitter and fanned 12 to allow the Hawks to leave town with a split.

Neither Sappington nor S&T starter John Auble (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South) allowed a hit through the first three innings, but Rockhurst got on the scoreboard in the third without the benefit of a hit.  Jordan Stull walked with two outs, advanced to second on a balk, then stole third and scored as the result of a high throw that went into left field.

The Miners got two hits off Sappington in the fourth, while Auble didn't allow his first hit until Josh Samuelson singled with one out in the fifth.  But it was in the sixth inning when the Hawks broke loose on the scoreboard.

With one out, the Hawks loaded the bases on two hits and a walk.  Josh Raburn (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep), who took over for Auble during the inning, got a ground ball off the bat of Dailey, but the Miners were unable to turn the double play and Rockhurst got its second run as a result.  Brandon Tangney followed with a flare into right center that Voth-Gaeddert dove for but couldn't come up, allowing another run to cross the plate.

Rockhurst got its third run of the inning on a wild pitch, then added three in the seventh on a bases loaded double by Ryan Porter as S&T leftfielder Kyle Rich (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) lost the ball in the late afternoon sun.

S&T got three of its five hits off Sappington in the bottom of the seventh and broke the shutout in the process as Voth-Gaeddert scored after a throwing error after an infield single by Brown.  Hall had two of the Miners' five hits in the nightcap.

Auble, who was tagged with the loss, gave up only four hits and two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work.  The Hawks (20-13, 11-9 Great Lakes Valley Conference) outhit S&T 8-5 in the second game.

Missouri S&T, who finished the day at 23-8 overall and 13-5 in the GLVC, will host West Division leader Drury in a noon doubleheader on Wednesday.  The Panthers are currently one game ahead of S&T in the standings with a 15-5 conference mark.