OZARK, Mo. – Closing out their first weekend road series of the season, the Missouri S&T baseball team was back in the diamond at the U.S. Baseball Park to take on Drury as they looked to pick up a series split. After the start time was moved up one hour to 11 A.M. due to the threat of inclement weather, the Miners (3-5) took the early lead but a mid-game outburst from the Panthers (13-1) allowed them to take a four-run lead. A late rally attempt from the Miners got them back in contention, but it wasn't quite enough as they came up just short by a final score of 8-7.
S&T scored first to open the ballgame, when
Andrew Branson (St. James, MO/St. James) reached on an error by the shortstop that allowed
Tommy Ruether (Washington, MO/Washington) to cross home after he reached on a fielder's choice three batters earlier.
Starter
Ethan Morrow (Lenexa, KS/Shawnee Mission West) kept DU off the board until the fourth inning, when the Panthers scored on a run on an error following a two-out double to tie the game. An inning later, Drury was able to put four runs on the board on three hits and an S&T error to make it a 5-1 game.
The Miners got a run back the following half inning in the top of the sixth, when
Andrew Branson (St. James, MO/St. James) drove in
Garrett Weiner (Alton, IL/Marquette) after he led the inning off with an infield single to make it 5-2. Branson had a chance to score later in the inning after
Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) got into a designed run down between first and second, but was thrown out by the Panthers trying to make his way home to keep it a three-run game.
Drury answered S&T's run with one of their own in the bottom of the inning before the Miners erupted in the top of the seventh.
Brady Voss (Lake St. Louis, MO/Liberty) got things going with a four-pitch walk to lead off the inning before going first to third on a single from
Will Hayes (Terre Haute, IN/South Vigo).
Tommy Ruether (Washington, MO/Washington) singled Voss home and after a strikeout, Weiner singled up the middle to load the bases with one out to chase the Drury starter.
Andrew Branson (St. James, MO/St. James) turned an 0-2 pitch into an RBI knock to score Hayes and was followed by a
Braden Mahurin (Dixon, MO/Dixon) infield single that scored Ruether and kept the bases loaded for
Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing), who earned an RBI the hard way as he was hit by a pitch to tie the game at 6-6.
Jacob Cook (Chicago, IL/Minooka Community) came on to start the bottom of the inning in relief of
Dylan Dunbar (West Plains, MO/West Plains), who was first out of the bullpen, and got two quick outs before Drury strung together three-straight two out hits to score twice and retake the lead 8-6.
Hayes doubled to lead off the eighth and scored moments later on a throwing error by the Drury second baseman on an infield single from Ruether to make it 8-7. Ruether advanced to second on the play but was stranded as the Miners couldn't plate the tying run.
A scoreless bottom of the eighth from Cook gave the Miners a chance in the top of the ninth, as they managed to load the bases with a single, walk and hit by pitch, but a groundout to second ended the game as an off-line throw to first nearly ended up as a fifth Drury error, but was corralled to wrap things up.
Morrow took a no decision in his second start of the season, working 4 1/3 innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits while recording a strikeout. Cook (0-1) took the loss, allowing two runs on three hits with one strikeout in his two innings of work.
Hayes, making his second start of the season, led the way for S&T at the plate, and went 4-4 with two runs scored and reached base in all six of his plate appearances, as he worked a walk and was hit by a pitch in the game. Ruether, Weiner, Branson and Mahurin all turned in two-hit games and made of the balance of S&T's 12 hits. Branson drove in a pair, while Mahurin and Ruether each drove in a run, with the former also scoring twice in the game along with Weiner.
Up next, the Miners head to St. Louis Wednesday as they continue their seven-game road trip with a single nine-inning game with Maryville set for 12 P.M.
