LEBANON, Ill. – Missouri S&T got back on the winning track Wednesday afternoon as it knocked off McKendree 11-5 in a non-conference game.

The Miners took the early lead in the game and built on it every time the Bearcats cut into the lead as they moved to 17-18 overall.  McKendree fell to 6-27 on the year.

Following a scoreless first inning, the Miners took the lead in the second when Matt Knickerbocker (Bayfield, CO/Bayfield) reached on an infield single, stole second and scored on a one-out single by Zach Bracken (Berthoud, CO/Berthoud).  S&T scored again in the third with a two-out uprising, as Matt Gruse (Neenah, WI/Neenah) doubled to the opposite field and scored on a hit by Tim Lira (Granger, IN/Penn) to make it 2-0.

Andrew Aydt's run-scoring ground out in the fourth got McKendree on the board, but Alex Reynolds (Republic, MO/Republic) – who took over for starter Stuart Martin (Ajax, ON/Ajax) after he threw three scoreless innings – got a strikeout with the tying run at third to get out of the inning.

Missouri S&T added to its lead in the fifth, taking advantage of a Bearcat error to score three unearned runs.  The first scored when Gruse grounded out to score Burk – who had reached on that error to begin the inning – then the Miners got an RBI single from Knickerbocker followed by a run-scoring double by Drew Aldana (El Paso, TX/JM Hanks) to take a 5-1 lead.

Austin Francis led off the bottom of the fifth with a home run to cut a run off the Miner advantage, but the Miners responded with a three-run sixth as Burk knocked in a run ahead of a two-run homer by Gruse over the fence in right, his team-high third of the season.

The Bearcats trimmed the lead when Aydt belted his second homer of the game in the bottom half of the inning, but Brendan Killion (Okawville, IL/Okawville) fanned him an inning later to help escape from a bases loaded, one-out situation.

McKendree did score a run in the seventh due to a passed ball on the strikeout of Aydt, but S&T padded its lead when it came to bat in the eighth.

Kaleb Reid (Smithville, MO/Smithville) was hit by a pitch and Burk singled to begin the inning, then after a sacrifice bunt by Lucas Swindle (Weldon Spring, MO/Lutheran-St. Charles), Reid scored when he beat the throw to the plate on Gruse's chopper to the mound.  Lira followed with an RBI single through a drawn-in infield to plate Burk and Knickerbocker's bloop single brought in Gruse to extend the Miner lead to 11-5.

The Miners outhit McKendree 15-10, thanks to three hits from Knickerbocker and two hits apiece by five others, including Gruse, who drove in four runs in the game and Burk, who had three stolen bases and scored three times.

Martin, making his first start in a Miner uniform Wednesday, was credited with the win.  S&T used five pitchers in the midweek contest.

Missouri S&T will open a four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference series at Quincy on Saturday.  The teams will play noon doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.