Box Score SEARCY, Ark. – Missouri S&T's baseball team overcame a four-run deficit to grab the lead in its season opener Saturday at Harding, but a three-run homer by Victor Guerra in the bottom of the eighth gave the Bisons a 7-5 victory.

Guerra's home run, the second three-run shot of the game for the Bisons, came with two outs in the inning.  The Miners had caught a break moments earlier when Jeremy Bohnett's grounder into the hole hit baserunner Billy Ninemire on his way to third for the second out, but Guerra hit a full count pitch from Chris Bowe (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) down the left field line for the game winning homer.

S&T had a chance in the ninth after Michael Lockett (O'Fallon, Mo./Timberland) led off with a hit to get the tying run to the plate, but Harding reliever Bronson Smith retired the next three hitters in order to preserve the win.

The Miners missed a couple of good scoring chances early in the game, first in the third after Clint Wobbe (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS) and Kyle Rich (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) had back-to-back hits with two outs but wound up being stranded.

After the Bisons got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third on Paul Anzalone's run-scoring single, the Miners had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth but couldn't get a run across on that occasion.

Harding added to its lead when Bohnett hit a three-run homer off S&T starter John Auble (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South), while Bison pitcher Lucas Waddell kept the Miners off the scoreboard over the first five innings.

S&T rallied against Harding's bullpen after Waddell was removed after the fifth, taking advantage of some wildness by the two hurlers used by the Bisons.  A one-out single by Will Morrison (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) was followed by Colin Coan (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./South St. Paul) being hit by a pitch and a single by Reed Brown (Rogers, Ark./Heritage) to load the bases.

Collin Campbell, the first of the two Harding relievers in the sixth, hit Matt Robaska (Parkville, Mo./Park Hill South) with a pitch to force home the first run, then walked Jake Brower (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland) to bring home another to make it 4-2.  He was relieved by Zac Stewart, who hit Wobbe with two outs to force home another run that trimmed the lead to one.

Rich, who had hits in each of his first four at-bats, drilled the next pitch down the left line to bring home Robaska and Brower to give the Miners their first lead at 5-4.

Bowe, who entered the game in the fifth in relief of Auble, pitched around a leadoff walk and a two-out hit in the sixth and then retired the Bisons in order in the seventh.  In the eighth, however, he hit Ninemire to start the inning and issued a one-out walk.   Following the hit that led to Ninemire being retired, Bowe gave up the home run on a ball down the line in left that put Harding back on top.

The Miners outhit the Bisons (3-0) 10-7, but left nine runners on base in the contest.  Rich had four of the hits, while Brown had two hits as well.  S&T had runners on base in seven of the nine innings.

Missouri S&T will face Harding in a doubleheader Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.