ROLLA, Mo. – The Miners lost three close games against UIndy today, starting with the conclusion of yesterday's doubleheader. They lost 12-11, 5-3, and 12-11.
Conclusion of Postponed Game (7 inning): Greyhounds 12, Miners 11
The Miners started the day off with a single inning to conclude game two of yesterday's doubleheader.
Jacob Cook (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka Community) pitched for the lone inning, giving up 2 hits with the infield committing a couple of throwing errors that led to two more runs for the Greyhounds. Trailing 12-9 entering the bottom of the seventh, S&T started the inning off right with a single
Tyler Prince (Mexico, MO/Mexico). But an early foul out and fly out for the Miners would put them one out away from losing the game. A throwing error to first by UIndy's pitcher kept the inning alive while allowing runners to get to first and third while Prince came home.
Sam Monroe (Moline, Ill./Moline) singled during the next at bat, bringing home two more runs and putting the Miners one run away from tying the game. The comeback would fall short though, with
Kenneth Sugi (North Vancouver, BC/Carson Graham Secondary) flying out to center field and leaving the tying run on base.
Game 1 (7 inning): Greyhounds 5, Miners 3
Estin McBroom (Monett, MO/Monett) started today's game with back to back strikeouts and would've been through the top of the first in three batters if it weren't for a throwing error keeping the inning alive for one more at bat. The next batter would groundout to second base to end the top of the first though. The Miners got into a good position early in the first inning, getting a couple of walks to put players on first and second before a strikeout and groundball into a double play cut the inning short.
McBroom's second inning was his worst of the day, allowing two singles and walking a batter to load the bases with no outs. A double play by the Miner infield would help S&T get out of the inning with only two runs allowed. After the third inning, in which he gave up one run, McBroom would face only ten batters between the fourth, fifth, and sixth, giving up only one hit during that time.
The Miners got on the board in the bottom of the fifth off a double to left center by Monroe that brought the Miners within one of the Hounds. A solo homerun by
Matt Souza (Escondido, CA/Christian) in the bottom of the sixth would tie the game at 3-3 entering the seventh and final inning.
Cody Hazzard (Mazon, IL/Yorkville Christian) came in to close the game in the top of the seventh but would allow runners to reach first and third before recording his first out of the inning. A single and a throwing error in the following minutes brought two runs home for UIndy and gave them a 5-3 lead entering the bottom of the last inning. After
Drew Baugus (Kirkwood, MO/Kirkwood) grounded out, Monroe and
Kenneth Sugi (North Vancouver, BC/Carson Graham Secondary) both got on base, giving the Miners the chance to tie or win the game with a walkoff. It would not be so though, as the next two batters got out on fly balls to end the game.
Game 2 (9 inning): Greyhounds 12, Miners 11
With
David Kephart (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest) on the mound to start the game, the Miners got through the top of the first inning in three outs. The Miners got through six batters in the bottom of the first and scored once off a throwing error by Indianapolis' third baseman, taking a 1-0 lead. The Greyhounds would get a run of their own next inning to tie the game at 1-1. In fifth at bat of the bottom of the second,
Kenneth Sugi (North Vancouver, BC/Carson Graham Secondary) took a walk with the bases loaded, bringing a second run home for S&T.
Garrett Weiner (Alton, IL/Marquette) added to the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly that brought
Andrew Hedgecorth (Smithville, MO/Smithville) home.
Kephart would get through the next two innings facing only seven batters and allowing one hit, while the Miners scored another pair in the bottom of the third off RBI singles by Hedgecorth and Baugus. Three singles in the top of the fifth would allow the Hounds to add another run to their total before Kephart struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
Jacob Cook (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka Community) took over for Kephart in the top of the sixth with the Miners leading 5-3. A single, a hit by pitch, and a walk rounded out a rough start for Cook, but a double play and groundout would get S&T out of the inning with only one run allowed. After the Miners went scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, Cook returned to the mound. His time in the inning would be short, being pulled after the first at bat to be replaced by Matt Kaiser. Like Cook, Kaiser's first few batters faced did not go well, as he gave up a triple and a double, leading to the Hounds scoring three. UIndy would score once more before the Miners got out of the inning, but the home team now trailed 7-5.
The Miners came up empty in the bottom of the seventh, having take the field still down by two. Kaiser started the inning off right with a strikeout, but it all went down hill from there. An error, a walk, and a single gave the Hounds another run and prompted the Miners to bring in
Dylan Wipf (Oak Park, IL/River Forest). The Miners caught one of the Hounds trying to steal third, bringing them one out away. Wipf would walk the next two batters though before giving up a single and a double that would extend UIndy's lead to 12-5.
After finally getting out of the top of the eighth, the Miners turned their attention to scoring. They would cut the Hounds lead to four in the inning, scoring three runs and getting through eight batters.
Elijah Gross (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit West) pitched the top of the ninth and recorded three strikeouts to quickly get the Miners back to bat. After Hedgecorth was hit by pitch and Baugus was walked, the Miners had runners on first and second. A single by Monroe would bring Hedgecorth home and put runners on first and third for the Miners. Still with no outs on the board, Indianapolis opted to change out pitchers. A sac fly by Sugi the next at bat would bring Baugus home and cut the Miners deficit to just two. A strikeout by Weiner would put the Miners an out away from losing, but Prince doubled down the left field line to bring Monroe home and make it a one run game. Krodinger was unable to bring Prince home though, striking out swinging as S&T lost their fifth straight.
The Miners will be on the road the rest of the week with a single game at Harding University and a series at Drury.
