ROLLA, Mo. – The Miners were handed their first loss of the season in today's game against the University of Sioux Falls, 16-5. Three errors and several other mistakes throughout the game hurt the Miners and allowed Sioux Falls to pull away late.
Estin McBroom (Monett, MO/Monett) was S&T's starting pitcher today. He was hit and miss in the first inning, getting two strikeouts but also walking two batters and advancing base runners on a wild pitch as USF took a 2-0 lead out of the top of the first. Sioux Falls' starting pitcher was a lefty and this would be the first time this season that the Miners would go up against a LHP for an extended period of time. The bottom of the first was a quick three outs on three at bats for the Miners, followed by the Cougars adding another run in the next inning due to an error by S&T. The bottom of the second would see the Miners get their first man on base with a walk for
Nick Krodinger (DeSoto, MO/DeSoto) and their first hit with
Matt Souza (Escondido, CA/Christian) sending one through the right side. They were unable to come away with any runs in the inning as they entered the third down 3-0.
The top of the third and fourth innings were McBroom's cleanest of the day, getting the necessary six outs on just eight at bats with a pair of strikeouts. The bottom of the third was S&T's most successful of the day, as they would score three runs off USF's struggles (runs on wild pitch,
Garrett Weiner (Alton, IL/Marquette) RBI, and Weiner stolen base). The score remained tied through the top of the fifth, when another S&T error kept the inning alive for USF, leading to a two-run homer as the Miners fell behind 5-3.
The Cougars added another run in the top of the sixth and would double their score in the top of the seventh, going up 12-3 on the home team. The Miners were unable to get any runs in the seventh or eighth, only recording one hit between the two innings. With S&T's bullpen growing thing, the top of the ninth would yield another four runs for Sioux Falls. Another RBI for Weiner would close the gap slightly as the Miners would go on to lose 16-5.
Weiner had another successful day at the plate, getting three hits on five at bats while recording two RBIs. McBroom recorded a 3.86 ERA and is now 0-1 on the season.
Sioux Falls returns for a doubleheader tomorrow at the Ballpark at S&T starting at 12 p.m.
