ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T snapped an eight-game losing streak to Drury Wednesday afternoon when it won the first game of their Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at the S&T Baseball Field by a count of
6-5, but the Panthers gained a split of the twinbill by winning
7-1 in a rainy nightcap.
The Miners had to hold off a late Drury rally to win the opener, as the Panthers nearly wiped out a five-run Miner lead in the final two innings.
S&T took the lead in the opening inning on a sacrifice fly by
Lance Portwood (Edmond, Okla./Edmond Santa Fe) that followed
Tyler Johnson (Union, Mo./Union) being hit by a pitch and a double by
Trevor Karbowski (Standish, Mich./Sterling Central). Portwood also drove in the Miners' second run two innings later when he beat the throw to first on a double play ball that would have ended the inning;
Lucas Swindle (Weldon Spring, Mo./Lutheran-St. Charles) scored on the play.
In the fifth,
Tyler Bodenstab (Independence, Mo./Truman) drew a walk and Johnson reached on a bunt single to start the inning, then both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Drury reliever Brian Quasebarth took over following Johnson's hit and retired the next two hitters, but
Nick Ulrich (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney) doubled down the left field line to score both runners and double the S&T advantage.
The Miners tacked on another run in the sixth when Bodenstab's chopper up the middle was deflected by the pitcher, allowing
Brandon Farley (Vancouver, Wash./Heritage) to cross the plate.
Meanwhile, S&T starter
Blake Stephens (Chillicothe, Mo./Chillicothe) cruised into the seventh inning with a shutout, allowing only two hits and walking two over the first six innings. After giving up an infield single and a walk with two outs in the inning,
Trenton Green (Perryville, Mo./Perryville) replaced Stephens and got the final out to keep the shutout intact.
However, the Panthers got to Green at the start of the eighth, loading the bases with nobody out.
Reed Brown (Rogers, Ark./Heritage) took over on the mound and after a sacrifice fly by Conner Wilson got Drury on the scoreboard, Spencer Wilmes tripled into the corner in left to score two more runs.
A groundout later in the inning got the Panthers to within a run, but the Miners added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Bodenstab executed a squeeze bunt that scored
Collin Zurweller (St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt East).
S&T needed that insurance run as Luke Tewes hit a solo homer with two outs in the ninth, but Brown fanned Wilson to end the contest and earn a save for Stephens, who was making his first career start for the Miners.
Karbowski got two of the Miners' eight hits as S&T outhit the Panthers 8-6.
The Miners took the early lead in game two when Bodenstab reached on an infield hit and went to second on an error on the play, then took third on a passed ball and scored while Johnson – who was hit by a pitch – got caught in a rundown between first and second.
Drury took the lead with two runs in the third, then the Miners missed good scoring chances in the fourth and fifth. S&T got its leadoff man on in the fourth and had him on second with one out, but couldn't advance him any farther.
In the fifth, the Miners loaded the bases after a double play, but couldn't get the tying run across.
The Panthers put the game away against the Miner bullpen, scoring twice in the sixth and three times in the seventh to end S&T's season-high five-game winning streak.
Drury (12-10-1, 8-5-1 GLVC) had a 12-5 advantage in hits in the nightcap; Bodenstab had two of the five hits for S&T. Starting pitcher
Dan Borek (Greenville, Wis./Hortonville) took the loss for the Miners (14-11, 9-5 GLVC), who will head to St. Louis this weekend to play Maryville in a four-game series. The series will begin with a doubleheader Friday at noon.
