ROLLA, Mo. –Stepping outside of conference play for the first time in nearly a month, Missouri S&T's baseball team picked up a win Tuesday afternoon over 12^th-ranked Central Missouri at the S&T Ballpark as the Miners came away with a 5-4 victory.

The Miners (15-15) spotted the Mules (26-10) a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but drew even in the second as Tim Lira (Granger, IN/Penn) followed a leadoff single by Matt Gruse (Neenah, WI/Neenah) by rifling the first pitch he saw over the fence in left center for a two-run homer – which was then followed by a home run off the bat of Conner Forsythe (Farmington, MO/Farmington) that knotted the score.

The back-to-back homers marked the first time since May 2, 2010 in which the Miners had homered in consecutive at-bats.  The feat, accomplished then by Will Morrison and Zac Carter, happened three times that season.

As S&T starter Matthew Lamb (Doniphan, NE/Grand Island) began to settle in on the mound, the Miners got him the lead in the fourth as Jason Volkmann (Liberty, MO/Liberty) reached on a bunt single, stole second, moved on to third on a passed ball as Justus Nelson (Plymouth, MN/Robbinsdale Armstrong) drew a walk, then scored when Nelson got himself hung up between second and third to allow him to cross the plate.

The Miners added to their advantage in the fifth when Gruse singled with one out and later scored on a hit by Forsythe.

Lamb stayed in the game until Cole Taylor's RBI single with two outs in the sixth cut the lead to 5-4, but Anthony Garza (Belleviille, IL/Belleville East) got pinch hitter Zak Whalin to pop out to end the inning.

Garza got out of a two-on, nobody out situation in the seventh with a couple of strikeouts, then Stuart Martin (Ajax, ON/Ajax) pitched a perfect eighth to turn it over to Forsythe for the ninth.  After retiring the first two hitters – including a strikeout of Mason Janvrin to close a nine-pitch at-bat – the Mules got the tying and go-ahead runners on base before Forsythe got Collin Nevil to ground out to Lira at first to end the game.

The Miners outhit the Mules 13-11 in the contest as they got back to the .500 mark on the season, with Lira getting three hits on the day, while four other Miners had two hits apiece.  Lamb got the win as he allowed eight hits – and only four after the first inning – and struck out three in his 5 2/3 innings of work.

Missouri S&T will return to Great Lakes Valley Conference action Saturday when they face Drury in a doubleheader at U.S. Ballpark in Ozark, Mo., at noon.  The Miners and Panthers will also play a twinbill on Sunday in Rolla that will also start at noon.