WARRENSBURG, Mo. – A second consecutive sweep over Missouri-St. Louis – combined with the results of Sunday's play around the Great Lakes Valley Conference – allowed Missouri S&T to clinch a berth to the conference tournament as the Miners took wins of 4-3 and 8-5 at the University of Central Missouri's Crane Stadium.

Kaleb Reid (Smithville, MO/Smithville)'s solo home run in the fifth inning broke a 3-3 tie to provide the winning margin for S&T in the opener, then the Miners held off UMSL's rally efforts in the nightcap to complete the sweep of Sunday's doubleheader and the four-game series between the teams that was moved to UCM's facility due to the weekend rain in Rolla.

The Miners grabbed a 3-0 lead in the opening inning of game one, as Eli Miller (Shelbyville, IL/Shelbyville) was hit by a pitch to start the inning, followed by a walk to Reid and an opposite field single by Adam Richter (Breese, IL/Mater Dei) to bring home Miller.

Lucas Swindle (Weldon Spring, MO/Lutheran-St. Charles) drove in the second run on a ground ball to second before Justus Nelson (Plymouth, MN/Robbinsdale Armstrong) tripled into the right field corner to score the third run of the inning,

UMSL drew even by scoring single runs in each of the next three innings, tying the game on an RBI single by Jarrett O'Brien in the fourth.

But in the fifth, Reid drilled a Zach Lindsay pitch over the fence in left for his first homer of the season to put S&T – who had just five hits in the contest -- back into the lead, before pitchers Dan Borek (Greenville, WI/Hortonville) and Dalton Erger (Imperial, MO/Seckman) finished off the first game win.

Borek, who scattered nine hits in his six innings of work, retired the Tritons in order in the sixth before turning it over to Erger.  UMSL loaded the bases with a hit and two walks in the seventh, but Erger got Nick Ulrey to hit into a fielder's choice to end the game.

Game two started for the Miners in the same manner as game one, as S&T put three runs on the board in the opening inning.

After the first hitter was retired, the Miners' next seven hitters reached base, but the real damage came after the second out was recorded.  With two outs, Richter singled, then moved to second on an errant pickoff attempt by the catcher.  Swindle drew a walk before Zach Bracken (Berthoud, CO/Berthoud) singled into right center to plate Richter.

S&T added to its lead moments later when Matt Reschke (Darien, IL/Hinsdale South) rapped a single up the middle to score Swindle and Bracken, who had advanced to second on the throw back to the infield following his hit.

The Miners tacked on a run in the third when Jack DeGarmo (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) executed a successful squeeze bunt to score Bracken, but the Tritons cut the four-run S&T lead in half in the top half of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Tanner Hudson and an RBI single by Ulrey.

S&T got the two runs back in the fifth as Swindle led off with a double and later scored on an infield single by Matt Knickerbocker (Bayfield, CO/Bayfield), then Nelson – up as a pinch-hitter – blooped a single into short right to score Reschke.  However, Cooper Vinz belted a two-run homer in the sixth off Miner starter Matt Lamb (Doniphan, NE/Grand Island) to cut the Miner advantage to 6-4.

The Miners added a run in the sixth when Bracken hit into a fielder's choice to score Richter, then after UMSL trimmed the margin back to two with a run in the eighth, S&T got a run in the bottom of the frame when Richter singled with one out and scored when Bracken ripped a double past the bag at third.

Erger, who entered the contest in the eighth, got his second save of the afternoon by retiring the Tritons in order in the ninth.

Like Borek, who got the win in game one, Lamb picked up his fifth victory of the year on the mound in the second contest with his longest outing of the year, allowing six hits and striking out four in his six innings of work.

The Miners (25-18, 15-9 GLVC) outhit UMSL (15-27, 9-15 GLVC) 15-7 in the second game behind three hits apiece from Richter and Bracken, who drove in three in the nightcap.

S&T clinched its spot in the GLVC Tournament as it is assured of finishing above any team in the GLVC West Division that could finish as high as fifth in the division standings.  The Miners, the defending GLVC West champion, will enter their final weekend of conference play only one game in back of division leader Drury.

Missouri S&T will return to action Tuesday with a 6 p.m. game against Lindenwood in St. Charles, Mo., before closing its GLVC schedule Friday and Saturday with a series at Maryville University.