LIBERTY, Mo. - The Missouri S&T baseball team opened Great Lakes Valley Conference play Friday with a pair of setbacks at the hands of William Jewell, dropping the games by scores of 7-4 and 2-0 at Talley Stadium. The Miners fell to 8-5 overall as their five-game winning streak came to an end.

Game 1:

S&T starter Dylan Mollett (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) got in trouble in the opening inning after allowing three straight singles, the last by Alex Epp that scored Jake Wilcox. The Cardinals added three more runs in the inning on a two-run single from Kaden Owens and a throwing error that allowed Jordan Phillips to score.

The Miners got on the scoreboard in the third on a Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) single to left that scored Cole Hampton (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville), but after Mollett held Jewell off the board for two innings, the Cardinals got a two-run homer from Quincy Aldrich in the fourth to extend their lead to 6-1.

In the fifth after a walk to Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) and a double by Garrett Weiner (Alton, IL/Marquette), Tommy Ruether (Washington, MO/Washington) singled up the middle to score both runners to cut the deficit to 6-3. S&T got another run across in the inning on a hit by Brady Voss (Lake St. Louis, MO/Liberty) that scored Ruether.

William Jewell added a run in the bottom of the sixth on a bases-loaded walk given up by reliever Matt Ellingson (Lenexa, KS/Olathe Northwest), then the Miners loaded the bases in the seventh when Wood and Ruether were hit by pitches around a hit by Weiner. However, Jack Wells got the Cardinals out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts along the way to close the game.

S&T was led in batting by Weiner and Matt Souza (Escondido, CA/Christian) had two hits each as both sides had nine hits apiece. Mollett pitched four innings and struck out two batters as he took the loss on the hill.

Game 2:

Chase Burgess (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley West) led off game two with a single through the left side, but that would end up being the only hit S&T had in this decision against Jewell starter Chandler Ashby as the Miners were blanked in the nightcap.

William Jewell got the only run it needed in the second when Owens drove in Phillips with a single; S&T starter Estin McBroom (Monett, MO/Monett) got the Miners out of the inning by getting Johan Sanford on a double play to end the frame. 

The Cardinals got their other run in the sixth when Phillips singled in Will Brant.

McBroom allowed only five hits in a complete game outing and struck out four. Ashby fanned eight Miners and allowed only four baserunners, as he walked one and hit two aside from the one S&T hit.

The teams are scheduled to play a single game Saturday at 1 p.m. in Liberty. Read Full Article