INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – After dropping the first two games of the weekend and looking to snap a five-game losing streak, the Missouri S&T baseball team was back in action at Greyhound Park to close out their first Great Lakes Valley Conference road series of the season against Indianapolis in doubleheader action. Despite falling behind early in game one, the Miners' (16-14, 5-7) offense came alive late and kept swinging it well into game two, taking both games over the Greyhounds (13-17, 7-5) Sunday to split the weekend, pounding out 29 runs on 31 hits to win by scores of 14-5 and 15-7.
It was an ominous start to the afternoon as UIndy chased starter
Dylan Mollett (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) in the first inning en route to a 5-0 lead to begin the game. However, those five runs would end up being all the Greyhounds would muster in the game as
Ben Belgrave (Cary, IL/Cary-Grove) stepped up and shut down a UIndy offense that had scored 26 runs in the first two games of the weekend.
With Belgrave keeping the opposition in check, the S&T offense arrived in the fourth inning. Aided by three errors in the inning, the Miners scored a pair with two outs in the persons of
Tommy Ruether (Washington, MO/Washington) and
Braden Mahurin (Dixon, MO/Dixon) on balls in play by
Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) and
Will Hayes (Terre Haute, IN/South Vigo).
The Miners tied the game in the fifth with three more runs on four hits, again doing their damage with two outs. Mahurin doubled home
Brady Voss (Lake St. Louis, MO/Liberty) after he reached on a hit by pitch before scoring two batters later on a
Chase Burgess (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley West) singled to right. Sill plated
Andrew Branson (St. James, MO/St. James) to tie the game at 5-5 as he also reached base on a single to right field before UIndy managed to escape the inning.
A clean frame by Belgrave in the bottom of the fifth preceded a four-run sixth that put S&T on top for good in the game.
Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) led the inning off with a titanic home run to left field for the go-ahead run. Following a groundout, Ruether, Voss and Mahurin all reached base before Branson worked a walk to force home the second run of the inning. Another bases loaded walk to Burgess plated the eighth run of the day before Sill made it 9-5 on an RBI groundout to second.
Belgrave kept dealing in the bottom of the sixth, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts before the Miners put up a five-spot in the seventh, as once more all the damage in the inning came with two outs. Another bases-loaded walk by Branson forced home Wood before Burgess plated a pair on a sharp single back through the box on a 3-2 offering. After stealing second, a wild pitch saw Branson touch home again and Burgess move to third before Sill concluded the scoring with an RBI triple to right to make it 14-5.
Belgrave (1-1) allowed two one-out hits in the bottom of the inning but a strikeout and fly out wrapped up matters in game one. The Cary, Illinois product went 6 1/3 of scoreless five-hit relief in the game with six strikeouts and no free passes in his best and longest outing to date for the Green & Gold.
At the plate, Wood went 4-5 while Sill finished 3-6 with three RBI. Ruether went 3-4 and four RBI to his name while Branson with 2-3 with two RBI as well as two runs and two walks.
With momentum on their side, the Miners struck first in game two and never looked back. An RBI single by Weiner scored Wood following a two-out double to get S&T off and running. Three more runs scored in the second for the Green & Gold, as they again capitalized on an error by Indianapolis with two outs. Ruther triples home a pair in Burgess in Sill before scoring on a single by Wood to make it 4-0.
Voss made it 5-0 in the third inning, singling to left before an error in the outfield allowed Hayes to come all the way around from first to score.
In the fourth, S&T erupted for eight runs to make it a 13-0 game. Ruther led things off with a walk before Wood belted one high and deep down the left field line for his second home run of the day and third of the series. After the Miners loaded the bases, Burgess worked a walk to force home another run before Sill doubled off the wall in dead center to plate two more runs. Another RBI single by Wood saw Ruether cross for the eighth run of the inning.
The Greyhounds got to
Nate Wodka (Allen, TX/Allen) in the fourth, getting on the board with a solo home run to make it 13-1. After holding S&T scoreless for the first time in the game in the fifth, UIndy tried to rally and managed to score five runs in their half of the inning on a walk, wild pitch, ground out and single to make it a 13-6 game.
Neither side scored in the sixth but the Miners managed to get two back in the seventh on run-scoring singles by Branson and Burgess to make it 15-6. Indianapolis scored one in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, but
Jacob Cook (Chicago, IL/Minooka Community) was able to record the final out to wrap up the 15-7 win.
Wodka (2-2) picked up his second win of the season and pitched into the fifth inning, working four full frames and being charged with four runs on six hits. Cook worked the final 2 2/3 innings of the day and allowed just one run on five hits.
Wood continued his massive day at the plate by going 5-5 with a home run and two doubles in the game while driving in four and scoring twice. Ruether finished 2-5 with four RBI and three runs while Voss and Branson each picked up two hits. Sill drove in a pair in the game as did Burgess, while Hayes scored twice and went 1-1 with two walks.
The Miners are back at home for mid-week non-conference action Tuesday against Maryville at the Ballpark at S&T with first pitch set for 2 P.M.
