Box Score (Evansville, Ind.) – The Missouri S&T Lady Miners came up on the short end of a 5-3 decision against Saginaw Valley State on Saturday afternoon at the USI Softball Field in Evansville, Ind. S&T was scheduled to play two games on Saturday, but because of the forecasted weather settled for one instead.

The Cardinals (2-0) struck first with a run in the opening inning. Shelby Weeks led off the game with a double to center field and scored on Abby Stoner's one out double down the right field line. The Lady Miners (0-3) answered with two runs in the second to take their only lead of the contest. Cailey Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield) got hit by a pitch to start the inning and went to second on a wild pitch. She came around to score on Kelsi O'Neill (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs)'s double to center. Cassie Rizzo (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) then singled to right center to put runners on the corner with one out. Andi Davis (Blue Springs, Mo./Archbishop O'Hara ) drove in O'Neill with an infield single to third.

Saginaw Valley responded with two in the third to regain the advantage. Weeks led off the inning with a single and then stole second. Mackenzie Rousse reached on an error by Baker which allowed Weeks to move to third. Rousse stole second and both runners scored on Stoner's single to right field.

The Lady Miners tied the game in the fifth. After the first two were retired Dana Lawson (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) and Savannah Fedorchak (Oakville, Mo./Oakville) drew walks. Baker then battled during an eight-pitch fouling off several tough pitches before singling down the left field line to bring home Lawson.

The Cardinals scored twice in the sixth to regain the lead. Lindsay Hayward lined a double to center to begin the inning and then Amber Duncan (Centralia, Mo./Centralia) got Kari Knight to line out to Lawson and Mallie Hall to pop out to Davis. She couldn't quite escape the jam as Jordan Randall singled up the middle. Shelby Michaelis (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) charged the ball, but bobbled the ball on the exchange and her throw to the plate was late allowing Hayward to score and Randall went to second. SVSU added to their lead on a single to third base by Marcy Medina to score Randall.

S&T brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh after Fedorchak worked a two-out walk, but Baker flew out to center on a 3-2 pitch to end the game.

The Lady Miners finished the contest with seven hits led by O'Neill and Davis with two apiece. O'Neill, Davis and Baker accounted for the RBIs. Duncan took the loss in relief allowing two runs on three hits while striking out one in 2.1 innings.

Weeks and Stoner paced the Cardinal attack with four of the team's eight hits and Stoner had three RBIs. Alexa Gehrls went the distance allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out nine and issuing five walks.

S&T is scheduled to return to the diamond on Wednesday for a doubleheader against Lincoln University in Jefferson City at 1 p.m.