Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ROLLA, Mo. – After dropping its first home game of the season in Sunday's opener against Illinois Springfield, Missouri S&T got a clutch hit from Eli Miller (Shelbyville, IL/Shelbyville) to force the nightcap into extra innings and gained a split with a run in the 13^th inning to take a 6-5 decision.  UIS took the first game 3-1.

The Miners were down to their final out in game two when Miller hit a ball that sailed over the head of leftfielder Zach Patterson for a triple, allowing Matt Knickerbocker (Bayfield, CO/Bayfield) to come home with the tying run.  Knickerbocker would then end up being a part of the play that ended up deciding the contest four innings later.

With one out in the 13^th, Knickerbocker singled past the pitcher and was still on first with two outs when Zach Gadway (Tucson, AZ/Sabino) hit a ball off the third base bag that rolled down the line in left.  Knickerbocker was held at third, but a wild throw back to the infield got away and with home plate unoccupied, Knickerbocker raced home with the game-ending run.

After being held to two hits in the first game loss, the Miners struggled for the first five innings to get untracked in the nightcap.  S&T did take the initial lead in the fourth when Lucas Swindle (Weldon Spring, MO/Lutheran-St. Charles) drove in Miller with a sacrifice fly, only to have UIS tie the game in the sixth on Michael Rothmund's RBI single.

S&T regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth, as Cameron Burk (Nacogdoches, TX/Cushing) was hit by a pitch, moved ahead on a bunt and a hit by Miller and scored on Justus Nelson (Plymouth, MN/Robbinsdale Armstrong)'s ground out.  Moments later, Swindle singled home Miller to give the Miners a 3-1 lead.

The Prairie Stars answered back with three in the seventh to take the lead, only to see the Miners tie it in the bottom half as pinch-hitter Nathan Volkmann (Liberty, MO/Liberty) singled home Kaleb Reid (Smithville, MO/Smithville).

UIS scored again in the eighth to go back in front, as two hit batters preceded an RBI single by Trey Hannum, but Reid threw out Drew Harper at the plate the end the inning with just one run scoring.

After getting two runners on base in the eighth but failing to score, the Miners got another chance in the ninth as Knickerbocker led off with a hit and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a ground ball prior to the game-tying triple by Miller.

Miller had four hits in the second game where each team finished with 13.  Nelson, Knickerbocker and Gadway all had two hits apiece as well as the Miners won in extra innings for the third time this season.

Blaine Dunbar (West Plains, MO/West Plains) set UIS (8-7) down in order in the 13^th to get the win in relief.  His inning was preceded by 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief from Dalton Erger (Imperial, MO/Seckman), who got two inning-ending double plays along the way.

The Miner bats were silenced in game one by UIS lefthander Adam Gregory, who allowed only a leadoff single to Miller and a sixth inning RBI single off the bat of Adam Richter (Breese, IL/Mater Dei) that accounted for the Miners' only run.  Luke Marcheschi (Bloomington, IL/Central Catholic), who allowed nine hits and struck out four in 6 1/3 innings, took the loss in the opener.

The game one loss ended a pair of school record streaks for the Miners, as they had won 11 straight home games – which tied the previous mark – and 18 consecutive non-conference home games.

Missouri S&T (9-6) will head to the road next weekend for a four-game series against Saint Joseph's in Rensselaer, Ind.