QUINCY, Ill. – Back in action for the final doubleheader of the 2022 season, the Missouri S&T baseball team was back at QU Stadium Saturday for games two and three of their final Great Lakes Valley Conference series of the season against Quincy. The Miners (19-25, 7-16) went toe to toe with the home team for most action in both games, but the Hawks (30-19, 15-8) were able to pull away in the late going of each game, winning by scores of 5-1 and 11-3.
Quincy got on the board first to begin the afternoon, scoring on a groundout to second in the bottom of the first after two of the first three men reached via base on balls.
Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) tied things in the top of the third inning, blasting his team-leading eighth home run of the season to left but it wouldn't remain tied long, as QU answered with a solo shot of their own to the short porch in right field to go back ahead 2-1.
The Hawks added another run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to extend their advantage to 5-1. S&T managed a pair of baserunners in the seventh, but
Cade Meier (Dakota, IL/Dakota) (3-3) took the loss, working 5 2/3 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out six, tying a season-high mark.
Chasen Anderson (Moscow Mills, MO/Troy Buchanan) made his 18th appearance of the year, recording the final out of the sixth.
Wood finished the game 2-4 at the plate while
Michael Hughes (St. Clair, MO/St. Clair) finished with a 2-2 day at the plate and reached in all three of his plate appearances.
Garrett Weiner (Alton, IL/Marquette) and
Andrew Branson (St. James, MO/St. James) accounted for S&T's two other hits in the game.
Game two saw Quincy open things up in a similar manner to the series opener Friday, getting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first on the second pitch from start
Ethan Morrow (Lenexa, KS/Shawnee Mission West).
A scoreless second was followed by two runs in the top of the third for the Miners, as Wood tied the game on an RBI groundout to score
Will Hayes (Terre Haute, IN/South Vigo) before
Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) scampered home on a wild pitch on a dropped third strike with
Andrew Branson (St. James, MO/St. James) at the plate.
The Hawks answered with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to once again tie things up at 2-2 and after the teams exchanged zeros in the fourth, QU retook the lead in the fifth, scoring three times to make it 5-2 but leaving some on the bases as
Tate Morrell (Lloydminster, AB/) and Branson teamed up to cut down the runner trying to go first to third to end the inning.
Branson then turned around and with one out in the sixth, turned around a 3-2 pitch that was high and deep into the parking lot beyond the left field wall for his fourth home run of the season to make it 5-3.
Quincy added six more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning before retiring the Miners in the seventh to take game two of the day by a score of 11-3.
Morrow took a no-decision in his start, working 2 1/3 innings and striking out three and allowing two runs on two hits before Anderson came on to record the final two outs in the third, recording a strikeout in his second outing of the day.
Dylan Mollett (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) (3-3) took the loss in relief, being charged with three runs on three hits in an inning and a third of work with two strikeouts.
David Kephart (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest) worked an inning of relief and
Matt Ellingson (Lenexa, KS/Olathe Northwest) also made an appearance for 2/3 of an inning.
Offensively, Branson finished the game 2-3 with a home run. Sill and Hayes also recorded a hit in the game while Wood drove in the other S&T run.
The series will wrap up Sunday with a single nine-inning contest with first pitch scheduled for 12 P.M.
