INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Back on the road for the first time in nearly a month, the Missouri S&T baseball team made the trip east for the first of four game this weekend with Indianapolis. Friday's opener was played at Center Grove High School and saw seven combined home runs in the first three innings of action before four scoreless innings of action. Despite the Miners (14-13, 3-6) tying things up late, the Greyhounds (12-15, 6-3) were again able to answer with their fifth home run of the game to take the opener 8-4.
After S&T went down in order to begin the game, UIndy connected on back-to-back one-out solo home runs to go in front early.
Garrett Weiner (Alton, IL/Marquette) opened the second inning with a leadoff bomb for his sixth of the season to get S&T on the board but the Greyhounds answered with another solo shot in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-1.
The third inning saw S&T blast back-to-back one out home runs much like Indianapolis in the first inning.
Tommy Ruether (Washington, MO/Washington) turned on one to right field for his second of the season before
Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) went the other way to right center to tie the game on his fourth long ball of 2022. The next half inning saw another UIndy home run that put them back on top 4-3 as the ball continued to fly around early.
After a torrid start to the game with seven home runs in the first three innings, what followed was nothing but zeros for the next four innings as both starting pitchers settled into grooves and kept the opposing offenses at bay.
The scoreless drought came to an end in the eighth inning when Wood drove in
Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) on a groundout to second to tie the game at 4-4 for the first run of the night that didn't come on a home run.
The decisive blow in the game came in the next half inning, as the Greyhounds loaded the bases with a double and two walks before their fifth home run of the night, this one of the pinch hit variety, cleared the bases to make it an 8-4 game. UIndy scored four more runs in the inning to make it an eight-run game at 12-4.
Will Hayes (Terre Haute, IN/South Vigo), back in the lineup for the first time since Drury last month, doubled to lead off the ninth before being lifted for pinch runner
Jaden Courtois (Festus, MO/Jefferson), but nothing came of it as despite a two-out walk by
Cole Hampton (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville), three of the final four Miners were retired to end the game.
Ethan Morrow (Lenexa, KS/Shawnee Mission West) got the ball to start for S&T and worked the longest outing of his young career, going six innings and allowing four runs on six hits while striking out three as he took a no decision.
Dylan Dunbar (West Plains, MO/West Plains) (0-1) was saddled with the loss, as after a scoreless seventh, he recorded the first out in the eighth before allowing a double which scored three batters later on the grand slam.
At the plate for S&T, Sill posted a 2-4 night with two doubles and a run scored. Ruether, Weiner and Wood all left the yard for their hits in the game while
Brady Voss (Lake St. Louis, MO/Liberty) and Hayes also doubled in the game and went 1-3. All seven of the Miners' hits in the game went for extra bases.
The series will continue Saturday with a single nine-inning contest scheduled for 12 P.M. CT.
