ROLLA, Mo. – Coming off the heels of two-straight weekend sweeps, the Missouri S&T baseball team welcomed Truman State to the Ballpark at S&T Friday afternoon for the first Great Lakes Valley Conference action of the season for both teams. What started as a pitcher's duel early evolved into a slug fest in the late going as the Miners (12-6, 1-0) powered they way to a run-rule 14-4 win over the Bulldogs (9-16, 0-1) in eight innings.
After a scoreless first inning, the Bulldogs got on the board first with a run that came across on a passed ball on a passed ball on a strikeout. S&T answered right back as
Brady Voss (Lake St. Louis, MO/Liberty) continued his red-hit hitting, blasting his third home run of the season to left to put the Miners on top.
A 1-2-3 third from starter
Dylan Mollett (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) saw Truman go down in order before
Tommy Ruether (Washington, MO/Washington) scored
Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. S&T's fourth run of game came in the fifth inning when
Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) singled home Sill to push the advantage to three.
Following a scoreless sixth inning, six combined runs scored in the seventh, starting with a Truman State sac fly to half the lead and make it a 4-2 game. After a pitching change by the Miners, the Bulldogs closed to within one on another sac fly, this time to left to make it interesting at 4-3.
The Miners answered in kind in the bottom of the inning, with
Garrett Weiner (Alton, IL/Marquette) going deep for the fifth time this season to plate three runs before
Braden Mahurin (Dixon, MO/Dixon) left the yard for his second of the season to make it 8-3.
TSU managed a run in the eighth to make it an 8-4 game, but S&T's offense wasn't done as the game moved to the bottom of the inning.
Chase Burgess (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley West) kept the good times rolling with his first career home run, a solo shot to left field, before three batter later Wood went yard for the third time this season to score three more to make it a 12-4 contest. Weiner got things restarted with an infield single and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch before Burgess wrapped things up following three-straight walks to load the bases with an RBI single to score Mahurin and bring the 10-run rule into effect and close out the day with a 14-4 win.
Mollett (3-0) picked up the win, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits while striking out five.
Elijah Gross (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit West) recorded his first save of the season, working an inning and two thirds of relief and striking out one.
At the plate, seven different players found the hit column with Sill posting a 4-4 day with three runs scored to lead the way. Wood finished 3-5 with four RBI and two runs scored, while Weiner and Burgess also went 3-5 with three and two runs batted in respectively.
The five home runs in Friday's contest mark the third time this season the Miners have left the yard at least five times in a game this season. S&T's nine-game winning streak is now the second-longest in program history behind a 10-game streak from April 22-May 12 during the 2011 season.
The series will resume Saturday with a doubleheader at 12 P.M. at the Ballpark at S&T.
