ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Missouri S&T's rally efforts came up short Tuesday afternoon as Lindenwood held off S&T for a
5-4 win at the Lou Brock Sports Complex.
Five unanswered runs by the Lions in the first and third innings put the Miners into a 5-2 hole and a seventh inning uprising in an effort to catch up was halted as S&T fell to 8-4 on the season.
The Miners got on the board in the opening inning after loading the bases before the first out was recorded. After the first out,
Eli Miller (Shelbyville, Ill./Shelbyville) hit into a fielder's choice to score
Tyler Bodenstab (Independence, Mo./Truman) and
Trevor Karbowski (Standish, Mich./Sterling Central) scored S&T's second run of the frame moments later on a wild pitch.
Lindenwood tied the score in the bottom of the first with a pair of unearned runs, then took the lead by scoring three times in the third after it loaded the bases with nobody out. Mike Ehrhard's RBI singled scored the go-ahead run, then following a double play that brought another runner across the plate, the Lions got their third run of the inning on Rayce Singbush's double.
S&T had a threat going in the sixth when it got its first two runners on base, but a pickoff at second and a double play ball ended that opportunity. But in the seventh, the Miners started climbing back into the game when it got into the Lions' bullpen, getting to within a run following an RBI double by
Nick Ulrich (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney) and a run-scoring hit by
Collin Zurweller (St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt East).
An error allowed
Lance Portwood (Edmond, Okla./Edmond Santa Fe) to reach, but the Lions (8-6) got out of the inning with the lead following a pitching change.
Devin Briehan, who entered the game with the tying and go-ahead runners in scoring position, got a strikeout to end the seventh and retired the Miners in order in the eighth and ninth to preserve the win.
S&T outhit the Lions 9-8 as Bodenstab and
Eli Miller (Shelbyville, Ill./Shelbyville) had two hits apiece.
Ryan Bearden (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood), who started the contest for the Miners, took the loss on the hill.
Trent Green (Perryville, Mo./Perryville) was effective in relief, as he allowed only two hits in 4 2/3 scoreless innings to keep S&T in the game.
The Miners are scheduled to return to action Saturday when they open a four-game non-conference series at Illinois Springfield.
