EMPORIA, Kan. – Missouri S&T opened its 2017 season Friday by scoring eight runs in the first two innings, but was shut down by Emporia State's bullpen from that point on as the Hornets scored in every inning to hand the Miners a 22-8 loss.

The Hornets, who already had six games under their belts prior to Friday's contest, had 24 hits and took advantage of S&T errors on a warm and windy afternoon.

The Miners got on the board in the opening inning when Lucas Swindle (Weldon Spring, MO/Lutheran-St. Charles) took advantage of the out-blowing winds by hitting a home run to the opposite field.  ESU answered back as leadoff hitter Mack Gowing hit S&T starter Trent Green (Perryville, MO/Perryville)'s third pitch of the game for a home run to tie it.

Emporia State scored another run before the inning ended on a sacrifice fly, but S&T unloaded on Hornet starter Tyler Buss in the second, knocking him out of the game with a seven-run outburst.

The frame started with a one-out single by Zach Wiegand (Coppell, TX/Parish Episcopal), followed by hits off the bats of Cameron Burk (Nacogdoches, TX/Cushing) and Matt Knickerbocker (Bayfield, CO/Bayfield) to load the bases.  Eli Miller (Shelbyville, IL/Shelbyville) was hit by a pitch to tie the score, then Justus Nelson (Plymouth, MN/Robbinsdale Armstrong) ripped a single to center to drive in two.

Later in the inning, Adam Richter (Breese, IL/Mater Dei) delivered a three-run double that ended the day for Buss and later scored on a hit by Matt Reschke (Darien, IL/Hinsdale South) and a subsequent error on the play.

ESU got two runs – both unearned -- back in the second and three more in the third when Taylor Sanagorski belted a three-run homer to cut the Miner lead to a run.  An inning later, the Hornets took the lead on an RBI triple by Kaden Shaffer; a throwing error on the relay allowed Shaffer to score the go-ahead run on the play.

While the Miner offense was being stifled by reliever Tanner Cairns, the Hornets continued to put runs on the board against the S&T bullpen, as ESU scored two in the fifth, three in the sixth, five in the seventh, including a three-run homer by Shaffer and three in the eighth.

Reschke had three hits to lead the Miners' 11-hit attack.  Green, who struck out seven in his four innings of work, took the loss on the hill.

The Miners and Hornets (6-1) will continue their series Saturday with a single game starting at 1 p.m.