ROLLA, Mo. – In very similar conditions to Friday's season opener, the Missouri S&T baseball team was back in action Saturday for a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader opposite Truman State at the Ballpark at S&T. While offense was the order of the previous day, pitching and defense took a more prominent role in both games Saturday, and while the Miners (13-7, 2-1) did see their nine-game winning streak end in game one by a score of 10-8, they managed to rally late in game two and secure a 5-4 over the Bulldogs (10-17, 1-2) to go up 2-1 in the series.
The Bulldogs fired the opening salvo in game one on a fielding error in left field by the Miners allowed a run to cross with two outs on a double down the line.
It was all zeros on the scoreboard for both teams until the fifth inning, when S&T broke through and plated a run on an RBI single from
Chase Burgess (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley West) to even the game at 1-1.
Truman State put up three runs in the top of the sixth, one on an RBI single and two more on a pair of errors to regain the lead 4-1.
The Miners halved the deficit in the bottom of the inning when
Andrew Branson (St. James, MO/St. James) grounded out to shortstop to score
Tommy Ruether (Washington, MO/Washington) and make it 4-2.
TSU then proceeded to score six times in the top of the seventh and lead by eight as S&T came to the plate for their final swings of the game.
Pinch hitter
Jaden Courtois (Festus, MO/Jefferson) got things going when he reached on a passed ball on a dropped third strike. Following a strikeout and
Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) double, both Courtois scored on a wild pitch which also allowed Sill to move up 90 feet to third. Ruether then blasted his first home run of the season down the line in right field to make it a 10-5 game as the wheels began to turn. After the next three men reached base,
Braden Mahurin (Dixon, MO/Dixon) turned on a pitch and pulled one down the left field line to drive in all three runs and make it a two-run game at 10-8. Unfortunately, the comeback attempt came up just short as the visitors held on to take the first game of the day.
Ruether and Mahurin led the way at the plate, each posting 2-4 showings and combining for five RBI between them.
Cade Meier (Dakota, IL/Dakota) (2-1) was saddled with the loss, allowing four runs, but just one earned, on six hits while striking out five.
Game two again saw Truman State go on top early, as a two-run home run to the right of the batter's eye swung the momentum in the favor of the visitors early. A double steal by the Miners in the bottom of the inning by
Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) and Ruether made it 2-1 before the inning came to a close.
A scoreless second was followed by lone runs by the Bulldogs in each of the next two innings as they increased their lead to 4-1. Again, S&T managed to halve the deficit in their half of the inning, as a two-out double from
Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) plated
Cole Hampton (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) to make it 4-2.
After neither side scored in the fifth, S&T rallied in the sixth to go in front.
Brady Voss (Lake St. Louis, MO/Liberty) reached on a hit by pitch with one out and navigated his way around the bases before coming across to score on a single by Hampton.
Aaron Berkhoff (Colorado Springs, CO/Cheyenne Mountain) entered the game to pinch run and following a wild pitch, he scored from second on a single to left by Burgess to tie things up at 4-4. Burgess later scored the go-ahead run when a ball off the bat of Ruether looked like it could end the inning in a double play, but an errant throw by the second baseman sailed wide of first and allowed S&T to take their first lead of the day at 5-4.
Jacob Cook (Chicago, IL/Minooka Community) (2-1) retired the first two men he faced in the seventh, but a two out error and a wild pitch allowed the tying to get to third, but no further as the freshman induced a pop out on the infield to close out the contest.
Four different Miners tallied two-hit games, led by Sill who went 2-4 with a double and an RBI. Wood, Hampton and Burgess all went 2-3 with two RBI and two runs scored between them while Ruether went 1-4.
Ethan Morrow (Lenexa, KS/Shawnee Mission West) got the start and despite taking a no decision, worked five strong innings and allowed four run on seven hits while striking out six.
The four games series will conclude Sunday with a single nine-inning contest set for 12 P.M.
