ROLLA, Mo. – The Miners split their third doubleheader of the week, dropping game one 5-3 and winning the next 11-8. S&T lost the first game in extra innings off back-to-back doubles by the Cougars.
Game 1:
Dylan Mollett (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) got his second start of the season in game one, giving up three runs in 6.2 innings. Neither team had success at the plate in the first inning, going three outs on three at bats for both teams. Sioux Falls went up on the scoreboard off a double in the top of the second, followed by another run with their next at bat to go up 2-0 on the Miners. After the Miners loaded the bases with their first three at bats of the second, a sacrifice fly by
Matt Souza (Escondido, CA/Christian) and an single to left by
Carter Bither (Springfield, MO/Springfield Catholic) would tie the score at 2-2. The top of the third and fourth were two more productive innings as the Miners closed out the innings facing just six batters with Mollett striking out two. A couple of walks and a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth gave the Miners two players in scoring position. They would cash in with a sac fly by
Kenneth Sugi (North Vancouver, BC/Carson Graham Secondary) to go up 3-2.
S&T held their lead through the top of the seventh, but after Mollett walked two batters
Ben Belgrave (Cary, IL/Cary-Grove) stepped in and gave up a double that allowed the Cougars to tie the game 3-3. After going out in the seventh with just three at bats, the game went to extra innings. Sioux Falls capitalized right away, scoring off back-to-back doubles to take a 5-3 lead over the Miners which they would hold through the bottom of the eighth to win. The loss went to Belgrave, whose record is now 1-1 this season.
Game 2:
Matthew Kaiser (St. Louis, MO/Vianney) drew his first start of the season in game 2. Kaiser struggled in the opening inning, giving up three hits, three runs, and walking one batter. The Miners would get their first points of the game in the bottom of the second, scoring two on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Bither. S&T would add another run in the bottom of the third to tie the game 3-3. Sioux Falls did not allow the score to remain tied for long, scoring another four in the next inning.
Andrew Agnew (Liberty, MO/Liberty North) would replace Kaiser part of the way through the inning, and
Jacob Cook (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka Community) would take over in the next inning. The Miners would immediately answer though, with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Cougars' lead to just one.
The Cougars would lose their one point lead in the bottom of the sixth, when the Miners scored four off doubles from Sugi and
Tyler Prince (Mexico, MO/Mexico) and a single by Weiner.
Dylan Wipf (Oak Park, IL/River Forest) would come in to close out the game in the final inning and earn the save in the Miners 11-8 win. Cook would be the awarded the win in this game.
Cook turned in the best pitching performance of the day, only allowing no hits during the 1.2 innings that he pitched. Prince had the best day at the plate with four hits and two RBIs on seven at bats.
The final game of the series against Sioux Falls is tomorrow at 1 p.m.
