ROLLA, Mo. - The Missouri S&T baseball team dropped the opening game of its weekend series against McKendree Friday afternoon as the Bearcats came from behind and scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning to defeat S&T 5-4 at the Ballpark at S&T.
The Miners (18-17, 9-12 GLVC) grabbed an early 3-0 advantage in the first inning, as
Dakota Sill (Lansing, KS/Lansing) reached with a double to right and
Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) followed with a walk issued by McKendree starting pitcher Joey Kossina.
Cole Hampton (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) followed by launching a three-run blast over the center field wall that gave the Miners the lead.
McKendree (15-25, 8-17 GLVC) got two of the runs back in its half of the second, as S&T starter
Kyle Athmer (Albers, IL/Breese Central Community) issued a leadoff walk to Michael Paule and Brandon Roth cut the deficit to 3-2 with a two-run home run to left center.
In the third, S&T extended its lead back to two when
Chase Burgess (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley West) led off the inning with a single and later scored on an RBI double by
Doug Wood (Liberty, MO/Liberty North). But after taking the two-run lead, the Miners missed opportunities to add on which allowed the Bearcats to eventually tie the game.
The Bearcats scored single runs in the fifth and sixth; a two-out single by Noah Nelson that drove in Katom Parnell in the fifth, then Brody Macak knotted the game at four an inning later with a double to right center that scored Paule.
S&T had a great opportunity in the bottom of the sixth when the inning started with a walk to Hampton and a bunt single by
Sam Monroe (Moline, Ill./Moline). Despite loading the bases with two outs when
Michael Hughes (St. Clair, MO/St. Clair) was hit by a pitch, the Miners stranded all three runners.
The Miners got out of jams in the seventh and eighth, but in the ninth after a walk issued by
Elijah Gross (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit West) to Kossina, Parnell followed with a double down the left field line that scored Kossina all the way from first that gave the Bearcats their first lead of the game.
S&T had another chance in the bottom of the ninth, as
Matt Souza (Escondido, CA/Christian) reached on a bunt single and following a sacrifice bunt, Burgess drew a walk to put the winning run on base. However, Kossina retired the next two hitters to preserve the win with a complete game effort for the Bearcats.
The Miners were led in hits by Wood with two and Hampton drove in three. On the mound, Athmer pitched 5.2 innings and struck out five batters; Gross took the loss out of the bullpen.
Missouri S&T will continue the series against McKendree with a doubleheader Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for noon at the Ballpark at S&T.
