ROLLA, Mo. – Finally getting the opportunity to play on its home field for the first time this season, Missouri S&T took advantage of a handful of Southwest Baptist mistakes to come away with a 7-1 at the S&T Ballpark.
S&T (9-5) broke on top in the third against SBU starter Drew Wagner as
Cameron Burk (Nacogdoches, TX/Cushing) doubled with one out and later scored on
Matt Gruse's (Neenah, WI/Neenah) RBI single. The Miners added to that lead with an unearned run in the fourth, as
Braden Mahurin (Dixon, MO/Dixon) reached base on a fielder's choice and moved to second on a wild throw to first; he would score moments later when
Kaleb Reid (Smithville, MO/Smithville) doubled with two outs.
Miner starter Brendan Garza opened the game with five perfect innings of work – striking out four along the way – but ran into trouble in the sixth when he allowed three straight hits, including an RBI single by Brett Mitchell that got the Bearcats (8-11) on the scoreboard. Wil Boettcher took on the mound after the third hit and retired the next three SBU hitters to maintain the Miner lead.
S&T got that run back in the bottom half of the sixth when Burk singled home Reid, who had singled with two outs and stole second ahead of the hit. The Miners then broke the game open as they batted around in the seventh and put four more runs on the board, with eight of the first nine batters in the inning reaching base.
The inning began when Gruse doubled down the line in left, then S&T loaded the bases as
Tim Lira (Granger, IN/Penn) drew a walk and
Matt Knickerbocker (Bayfield, CO/Bayfield) reached on an infield hit.
Conner Forsythe (Farmington, MO/Farmington) followed with an opposite field single that scored Gruse and prompted an SBU pitching change.
Brett Wilbanks entered the game for SBU and induced a 1-2-3 double play to begin his outing, but then hit the next three Miner hitters which led to two runs being forced home.
Jason Volkmann (Liberty, MO/Liberty) then drew a walk from the next SBU pitcher, Parker Dent, to force in the fourth run of the inning.
Garza picked up the win for the Miners as four relievers – Boettcher,
Stuart Martin (Ajax, ON/Ajax),
Blaine Dunbar (West Plains, MO/West Plains) and
Bryan Nolan (Ballwin, MO/St. Louis University HS) – completed the contest.
The Miners outhit SBU 11-5 in the game, as Reid and Burk had two hits and two RBI apiece and accounted for all three stolen bases for S&T.
Missouri S&T will continue its nine-game homestand with its Great Lakes Valley Conference opener Saturday when it hosts Truman State in a noon doubleheader at the S&T Ballpark. The Miners and Bulldogs will also play a single game on Sunday at noon.
