EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri S&T picked up a second win on its weekend to the Dunn Hospitality Classic by knocking off Hillsdale 5-3, but couldn't quite complete the sweep of the three games when 13
th-ranked Southern Indiana rallied in the late innings to beat the Miners 9-8 Monday night.
S&T led 8-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but the Screaming Eagles (4-1) scored five unanswered runs – including four in the bottom of the eighth – to leave it at the .500 mark at 3-3 at the close of its two-day stay in Evansville.
The Miners jumped on top of USI in the second when
Kaleb Reid (Smithville, MO/Smithville) drove home
Lucas Swindle (Weldon Spring, MO/Lutheran-St. Charles) and
Drew Aldana (El Paso, TX/JM Hanks) with a two-out single. The Screaming Eagles cut the lead in half on Ethan Hunter's sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the second, but the Miners scored again in the third on an opposite field single by Swindle to score
Tim Lira (Granger, IN/Penn).
In the fifth, S&T loaded the bases with nobody out as Lira doubled to open the inning,
Matt Knickerbocker (Bayfield, CO/Bayfield) was hit by a pitch and Swindle singled. After the first out was recorded in the inning,
Nathan Volkmann (Liberty, MO/Liberty) drew a walk to force in a run, then pinch-hitter
Zach Wiegand (Coppell, TX/Parish Episcopal) was walked to force in another run.
Drake McNamara's sacrifice fly in bottom of the fifth drew the Screaming Eagles a run closer, but S&T answered right back in the sixth as
Cameron Burk (Nacogdoches, TX/Cushing) singled, stole second and scored on a hit by
Matt Gruse (Neenah, WI/Neenah); Gruse would score later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Swindle.
USI cut the Miner lead to 7-4 in the sixth and knocked out S&T starting pitcher
Anthony Garza (Belleviille, IL/Belleville East) in the process, but
Stuart Martin (Ajax, ON/Ajax) entered in relief and got Jacob Fleming to line into a double play to end that threat. The two teams then traded runs in the seventh, with Lira driving in the Miner run with an RBI single and USI getting a run across on Nate Gobert's infield single.
The Screaming Eagles took the lead in the eighth, as their first three runners reached base ahead of a two-run double by McNamara to cut the lead to one. Moments later, a wild pitch allowed Fleming to score the tying run, then pinch-runner Spencer Deom put USI into the lead when the scored on Jayden Beshears' groundout.
Missouri S&T outhit Southern Indiana 14-12, as Lira had four hits in the contest and Burk finished with three.
Dan Borek (Greenville, WI/Hortonville), the fourth pitcher used by the Miners in the game, was tagged with the loss.
In Monday's opener, the Miners grabbed the lead with three runs in the third inning. S&T loaded the bases with three consecutive hits to start the inning before
Zach Wiegand (Coppell, TX/Parish Episcopal)'s groundout scored
Tim Lira (Granger, IN/Penn). Burk followed by reaching on an infield hit to score Gruse, then a third run scored when Reid hit into a fielder's choice.
Hillsdale (2-5) cut into the lead with single runs in the second and third off S&T starter
Matthew Lamb (Doniphan, NE/Grand Island), but the Miners got those runs back by scoring in both the fifth and sixth innings.
In the fifth, the Miners took advantage of a Hillsdale error and scored an unearned run on a double play ball, then tacked on one in the sixth – another unearned tally – when Burk again reached on an infield single to score Gruse, who got into the scoring position as the result of a throwing error.
Lamb pitched through the sixth to pick up the win, allowing just five hits and striking out four. A trio of relievers finished up the contest, with Connor Forsythe getting the save after a perfect ninth with two strikeouts.
The Miners outhit Hillsdale 8-7, with Gruse and Burk getting three hits apiece.
Missouri S&T returns to action Saturday when it opens a four-game series against Augustana at the S&T Ballpark, as the Miners will play eight of their next nine games at home. Saturday's first pitch will be at 1 p.m.
