RENSSELAER, Ind. -- A pair of big innings proved to be costly to the UMR baseball team Saturday afternoon as it dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Saint Joseph's in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
The Pumas scored all three of their runs in the fourth inning of a 3-2 game one victory, then used a five-run outburst in the fifth inning of the nightcap en route to a 6-2 win.
UMR grabbed the lead in the opener by scoring in the top half of the fourth when Owen Madison hit a sacrifice fly to score Robbie Martin. However, the Miners left two runners on base in the inning; UMR stranded seven runners in the first four innings.
The Pumas tallied three runs in the bottom half of the inning off UMR starter Brandon Cogan, aided by two passed balls and an error. Those miscues put leadoff hitter Matt Reimer on third and he scored on a hit by Matt Wille. Saint Joseph's got its other two runs in the inning on an infield ground out and another hit later in the frame.
The Miners closed to within a run in the sixth when Martin led off the inning with a hit and later scored on a two-out single by Josh Hanrahan. The Miners also got a runner on base in the seventh with two outs but left him stranded as well.
Hanrahan had two of the Miners' seven hits in game one.
In game two, Saint Joseph's took a 1-0 lead in the fourth, then knocked out starter Tavish Hill in the fifth with three straight hits and an error. That sparked the Pumas to a five-run inning, with Wille and Ryan Murray delivering two-run singles during that frame.
UMR got its two runs in the sixth. Matt Campbell reached on an error and Cody Bass was hit by a pitch, then Joe Montgomery followed with a run-scoring double to bring in Campbell. Eaf Redden drove in Bass on a ground out, but that was all the Miners would get for the balance of the afternoon. The Miners left the bases loaded in both the seventh and ninth innings.
Montgomery and Thomas McCormick had two hits each for UMR; the Miners had eight hits in game two.
The Miners (16-21, 9-18 GLVC) and Pumas will wrap up the weekend series with a single game Sunday afternoon.
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