SEARCY, Ark. – Missouri S&T took down the Harding University Bisons 6-3 in their first road game of the season. The Miners spread out their scoring, putting up points in the first, second, fourth, fifth, and seventh innings.
The Bisons' starting pitcher threw six straight balls to start the game, walking
Sam Monroe (Moline, Ill./Moline) and getting behind 2-0 in the count against
Kenneth Sugi (North Vancouver, BC/Carson Graham Secondary). The Miners took a couple of singles off the next two pitches, with Sugi and
Garrett Weiner (Alton, IL/Marquette) each hitting one to load the bases with no outs.
Tyler Prince (Mexico, MO/Mexico) grounded into a double play next at bat, but recorded an RBI as Monroe came home. A fly out to right field would end the top of the first with S&T up 1-0.
Elijah Gross (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit West) was the starting pitcher today, getting through the first inning in three batters and recording a strikeout.
A walk and a single by the Miners would put runners on first and third with just one out.
Michael Streb's (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) bunt would bring
Logan Alexander (Olathe, KS/Olathe Northwest) home, putting the Miners up 2-0, a lead that they would carry into the bottom of the inning after Sugi struck out swinging. The Bisons' threatened at the onset of the second, getting two singles in a row and a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third. Gross got out of it though, getting the next two batters to fly out and ground out to keep any Bisons from coming home. No one scored in the third inning, with only one hit being recorded by both teams. A solo homerun by
Logan Alexander (Olathe, KS/Olathe Northwest) would be the only score in the fourth inning, with the Miners adding another run to their lead.
The top of the fifth was the most successful of the day for the Miners, scoring two runs and recording three hits. The first hit of the inning was by Weiner, a single to center field that advanced Sugi from first to third base. Weiner would steal second base next at bat, with an errant throw by the Bisons' catcher allowing Sugi to come home during the sequence. With two outs and Weiner still on third,
Nick Krodinger (DeSoto, MO/DeSoto) entered the batter's box and hit the first pitch up the middle for a single that brought Weiner home. Krodinger would get as far as third base before a fly out by Alexander ended the inning, with S&T leading 5-0.
Gross' day ended after he completed another successful inning in the bottom of the fifth, being replaced by
Jake Schisler (Quincy, IL/Quincy Notre Dame) in the start of the sixth. Schisler would give up one hit but no runs in the inning, sending the game to the top of the seventh with S&T still up by five. A walk, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice bunt moved Sugi around to third base with just one out on the board. A sacrifice fly by
Tyler Prince (Mexico, MO/Mexico) would bring Sugi home to further extend the Miners' lead, before a foul out by Krodinger ended the inning.
The Miners gave up only one hit in the next two innings, thanks to the pitching efforts of Schisler and
Dylan Bates (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West), and maintained a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Ben Belgrave (Cary, IL/Cary-Grove) took the mound to close the game, but gave up a single, a double and a walk in the first three at bats. A strike out and a fly out by Belgrave would right the ship and get the Miners one out away from winning the game in a shutout. Back-to-back singles by the Bisons would bring three runs home though, ending the Miners' hopes of a shutout and leading to
Cody Hazzard (Mazon, IL/Yorkville Christian) replacing Belgrave. Hazzard only threw two pitches to close the game with fly out to right field.
Gross got the win and is now 1-0 this season, while Hazzard had the save.
The Miners next games will be in Springfield, as they face Drury University for a four game series that begins on Friday afternoon.
