KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- Missouri S&T Baseball shut out Truman State 10-0 to complete the series sweep against the Bulldogs.
Dylan Bates (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) pitched a complete game, earning his first career shutout and dealing 11 strikeouts.
The Bulldogs threatened early, getting runners on in the first and second innings, including one in scoring position early. Bates left both baserunner stranded though, striking out four in the first six at bats.
The Miners got on the board in the bottom of the second, with doubles from
Denton Damgaard (Colorado Springs, CO/Cheyenne Mountain HS) and
Drew Baugus (Kirkwood, MO/Kirkwood) giving them a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, a double by
Aiden Cizek (Wildwood, MO/Lafayette) set up
Will Beckham (Mountain Home, AR/Mountain Home) to score in the following at bat, giving the Miners a 2-0 advantage. S&T doubled their lead in the fifth, capitalizing on a pair of Truman errors and adding two singles, with
Keaton Scott (Hannibal, MO/Hannibal) and
Bricen Smith (Perry, GA/Mount de Sales Academy) scoring in the inning.
The seventh was the Miner's biggest of the day offensively, scoring six to effectively slam the door on Truman State's chances at a comeback. Smith led off with a double and
Jackson Evans (Overland Park, KS/Olathe North) followed that with a single on a bunt. Smith would score on a passed ball and a couple of walks would load the bases for S&T with 0 outs still on the board. Truman got their first out of the inning on a sac fly by Damgaard, allowing Evans to score to make it a 6-0 game. Cizek singled through the right side next to load the bases again, leading to a 2 RBI single for Baugus as the Miners moved ahead by eight. The Miners added two more runs before the inning ended, getting an RBI from
Brennon Wibbenmeyer (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell) and an RBI double from Scott.
Bates dealt three strikeouts in the final inning to earn the shutout, giving him a career-high 11 strikeouts along with his first career strikeout. The infield caught two stealing during the game, helping put away the Bulldogs in the second and the fifth innings.
The Miners close the series against Truman on a six game win streak, sweeping the Bulldogs for the second consecutive season. They recorded 44 hits and 30 RBIs in the series, hitting .338 as a team and led by Scott who went 6-for-11 at the plate for a .545 batting average. Baugus had a strong series as well, going 7-for-14 with 7 RBIs, 3 runs, 2 doubles, and 2-for-2 on stolen bases. The Miners pitching squad combined for a 1.50 series ERA, striking out Truman State 25 times.
What's Next
The Miners host Harding this Tuesday at 3pm before welcoming the Rockhurst Hawks for another Great Lakes Valley Conference series that begins at 3pm on Friday.
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