LEBANON, Ill. – Missouri S&T grabbed a pair of early leads Sunday afternoon, but couldn't slow McKendree at the plate as the Bearcats posted a 17-14 victory in the final game of the three-game weekend series.

The Miners got on the board in the first inning when Nick Ulrich (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney) doubled home Tyler Johnson (Union, Mo./Union) and Trevor Karbowski (Standish, Mich./Sterling Central) to give S&T a 2-0 lead, but the Bearcats answered back with three in the bottom of the first, highlighted by Kyle Rogers' two-run homer.

However, S&T's response was a five-run second inning that knocked out McKendree starter Nick Yung in the process.

It began with a leadoff walk to Lucas Swindle (Weldon Spring, Mo./Lutheran-St. Charles), then after the next two hitters were retired, Tyler Bodenstab (Independence, Mo./Truman) doubled to the opposite field to tie the score.  After Johnson was hit by a pitch, Karbowski went the other way for a hit to drive in Bodenstab with the go-ahead run.

An RBI single by Ulrich scored Johnson and ended Yung's day, then Lance Portwood (Edmond, Okla./Edmond Santa Fe) greeted reliever Josh Tonozzi with a run-scoring hit for S&T's fourth run of the frame; a wild pitch followed to score another run.

After the Miners grabbed the lead in the top of the inning, McKendree scored six times in the bottom of the second – including a three-run homer by Grant Anderson – that put it back in front.  The Bearcats also scored a run in the third on a wild pitch and tacked on two more in the fourth.

Johnson's sacrifice fly in the fifth got S&T to within four, then a throwing error an inning later on Eli Miller (Shelbyville, Ill./Shelbyville)'s stolen base scored another run, but the Bearcats scored two more in the sixth to regain their five-run advantage.

S&T staged a comeback effort in the eighth, beginning with Ulrich's leadoff double; he would score moments later on a hit by Portwood.  Later in the frame, Justus Nelson (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) singled in a run to trim the margin to three, then an RBI groundout by Bodenstab and an infield single by Johnson that scored Cameron Burk (Nacogdoches, Texas/Cushing) made it a one-run contest.

The Miners loaded the bases before the inning ended, but McKendree reliever Matt Henning got Ulrich to pop out to escape the threat.  The Bearcats (3-7) then scored three in the bottom of the inning to pad their advantage again before the Miners got one in the ninth on an RBI single by Nelson.

Each team had 19 hits in the contest and four Miners – Bodenstab, Ulrich, Portwood and Miller – had three hits apiece.

S&T utilized five pitchers in the contest, with the loss going to starter Keith Coulson (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central).

The Miners, now 8-3 on the year, are slated to face Lindenwood Tuesday in a single game at 3 p.m. in St. Charles, Mo.