Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ROLLA, Mo. – The Missouri S&T Lady Miners  started and ended its day with home runs sweeping past Drury 1-0 and 3-0 in nine innings on Wednesday afternoon at the S&T Softball Field. S&T got two spectacular pitching performances from Becca Strope (Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville) and Taylor Keal (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South) as well. Strope shutout the Panthers on three-hits in the opener and Strope and Keal combined for the four hit shutout in game 2.

The Lady Miners (12-21, 11-16 GLVC) got a lead-off home run from Dana Lawson (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) to start the first game. Lawson went with a 3-2 pitch and drove it out to right center for her fifth home run of the season.

Strope retired the first eight hitters she faced before Erin Romph singled to center with two outs in the third. Drury (19-22, 10-17 GLVC) would put its lead-off hitter on in each of the next two innings but couldn't get them past second base. The Panthers threatened again in the sixth getting the tying run to second with two out but Strope got a groundout to end the inning. Drury got its lead-off hitter on again in the seventh thanks to an error, but Strope again rose to the challenge retiring the next three hitters to earn the complete game win.

S&T had four hits in the contest by four different players. Strope improved to 5-5 allowing three hits while walking one and striking out five in the contest. She also hit a batter in the contest.

The nightcap proved to be a classic pitcher's duel between Caitlin Krebs and Strobe. Both pitchers allowed hits to start the game, but quickly settled in after that. At one point Krebs retired 13 batters in a row while Strope set down 11 straight.

The Panthers had a chance to score in the fifth inning getting a lead-off double from Denise Taylor, but she was left stranded at third when Strope struck out Kelsey James and Kristi Shepherd to end the inning.

S&T threatened in the sixth. Jamie Hatlan (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit ) reached on a one out error and moved to second on Andi Davis (Blue Springs, Mo./Archbishop O'Hara )'s single, but Kyra Slemp (Roeland Park, Kan./Shawnee Mission East) grounded into an inning ending double play third to first.

Drury threatened again in the seventh getting back-to-back two out singles, but Keal got a groundout back to her to end the threat.

The Lady Miners nearly won the game in the bottom of the eighth on Shelby Michaelis (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf)'s one out double to right center. The ball narrowly missed leaving the park. She was left stranded their when Kelsi O'Neill (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) struck out and Jamie Hatlan (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit ) was robbed of a hit by the shortstop.

S&T won the game in the ninth. Davis led off reaching on an error by the shortstop. She stole second and went to third on Slemp's flyout to deep right center. Cailey Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield) was hit by a 1-0 pitch to put runners on the corner. Smith came up and belted a 1-0 pitch to straight away center which banged off the scoreboard for her eighth homer of the season.

The Lady Miners finished the second game with five hits led by Smith and Davis with two apiece. Strope went the first five innings allowing no runs on two hits while striking out seven. Keal came on in relief in the sixth and pitched the final four innings allowing only two hits and struck out two to improve to 6-11 on the year.

S&T returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Springfield, Ill., to take on the Prairie Stars of Illinois Springfield. It'll be the first of three games that day as the two teams will finish the second game of its doubleheader from March 30. UIS leads that game 5-1 in the top of the third with one out and runners at first and second. The regularly scheduled doubleheader will follow.