ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Missouri S&T's baseball team completed a busy – and successful – eight-day stretch Sunday by winning twice in its final at-bat to complete a sweep of its four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference series at Maryville University, winning by scores of 6-2 and 10-8 at Weber Field.

The Miners played 10 conference games over those eight days and won nine of them to improve to 13-5 in the GLVC, vaulting into sole possession of second place in the GLVC West Division as a result.  S&T scored four runs in the top of the seventh in game one to break a 2-2 tie, then scored two unearned runs with two outs in the ninth to win the wild nightcap.

The opener started out as a pitcher's duel between the Miners' Micah Dohlen (Kent, Wash./Kent Lake) and Maryville's Steven Reynolds, as they allowed a total of four hits between them over the first five innings.  

S&T broke through against Reynolds in the third with an unearned run, as Brandon Farley (Vancouver, Wash./Heritage) reached on an error to start the inning, was bunted over by Matt Reschke (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) and scored on an opposite field double by Tyler Bodenstab (Independence, Mo./Truman).

Meanwhile, Dohlen was even better on the hill during that stretch for S&T.  He picked off a runner in the first who had reached on an error and pitched around a leadoff infield single in the second, as he retired 12 straight after the hit before the Miners gave him another run in the sixth on Reed Brown (Rogers, Ark./Heritage)'s two-out RBI single that scored Trevor Karbowski (Standish, Mich./Sterling Central).

The Saints answered back in the bottom of the sixth, as a hit batter and a hit by Garrett Jones – followed by a wild pitch – put the tying runs in scoring position and pinch-hitter Brad Ridings singled home one run; an error on the play allowed the tying run to cross the plate as well.

Dohlen escaped further trouble and kept the game tied by getting Mike Wilkinson to ground out and Yoonjae Nam to strikeout to end the sixth.

But just as fast as the Saints tied the score, the Miners regained the lead in the seventh.  Reschke tripled to center to start the frame and scored on Collin Zurweller (St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt East)'s base hit through a drawn-in infield to give S&T a 3-2 lead.  Zurweller would score later in the inning on an RBI single by Tyler Johnson (Union, Mo./Union).

S&T didn't stop there, as Johnson moved up a base on a wild pitch and scored on a hit by Karbowski, which was followed shortly thereafter by an RBI double by Nick Ulrich (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney).  Dohlen proceeded to retire the Saints in order in the seventh for his third complete game and improved to 4-2 on the year.

The Miners outhit the Saints 11-3 in the contest – S&T had eight of those hits in the sixth and seventh innings – with Karbowski, Ulrich and Zurweller getting two apiece.

S&T picked things up where it left off at the plate as the second game started, scoring twice in the first off Saint starter Justin Laffluer.  Following a single by Bodenstab and Johnson being hit by a pitch, Karbowski singled home Bodenstab to put the Miners in front.  Adam Richter (Breese, Ill./Mater Dei) drove in the second run of the inning with a two-out double that scored Karbowski.

After the Saints got one of the runs back in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring hit by Mike Wilkinson, S&T extended its lead in the third.  Karbowski doubled with one out and went to third on a single by Portwood, then the Miners executed a double steal as Karbowski crossed the plate.

With two outs, the Miners got back-to-back RBI singles from Reschke and John Ceriotti (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS) to extend their lead to 5-1.

Wilkinson homered in the fourth for the Saints, then drove in another run in the sixth on a ground ball to bring Maryville to within two.  Moments later, Mitch Carriger singled home Brad Ridings to make it a one-run game.

In the seventh, the Miners loaded the bases with one out and got a run on a ground ball by Adam Richter (Breese, Ill./Mater Dei), then two more when Reschke singled to center to score Portwood and Brown to regain their four-run advantage.  However, a two-run double by Ridings in the bottom of the seventh cut that margin in half, then a wild pitch scored another run and a sacrifice fly by Wilkinson tied the contest at eight.

Portwood singled with one out in the ninth, then following a fielder's choice, Richter singled to send Brown to third.  Reschke followed by hitting a ball to third that was thrown away, allowing Brown to score to put the Miners back into the lead.

Ulrich was intentionally walked to load the bases, but Lucas Swindle (Weldon Spring, Mo./Lutheran-St. Charles) reached on an infield to bring home a critical insurance run for S&T heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Brown took over on the mound for the Miners in the ninth and walked two of the first three hitters he faced, but got Wilkinson to pop out and on the play, Sean Murphy tried to take third and was thrown out by Ulrich to end the game.

Reschke had two hits and three runs batted in for the Miners in the second game, while Richter had two hits and drove in a pair as the Saints (11-20, 4-14 GLVC) – who never led at any point in the weekend series -- outhit S&T 12-11.

Blake Stephens (Chillicothe, Mo./Chillicothe), the fifth of six pitchers employed by the Miners in game two, got the win after his one inning of scoreless relief and Brown picked up his seventh save. 

Missouri S&T, now 18-11 overall, will return home to host Quincy in a four-game series beginning with a noon doubleheader Saturday at the S&T Baseball Field.