KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Miner baseball team has had its share of troubles in one-run games this season -- and Thursday's games at Rockhurst provided more frustration from that standpoint.
After tying the first game of the doubleheader with Rockhurst with a run in the top of the seventh, the Hawks scored in the bottom half of the inning to take a 2-1 victory over UMR. Rockhurst also posted a walk-off win in the nightcap as well by recording a 1-0, 10-inning victory to complete the sweep.
Both runs scored by the Hawks in game one were unearned, the first of which came in the second inning when Jordan Myers, who reached on an error to start the inning, came home on a wild pitch.
The game remained 1-0 until the Miners batted in the seventh. UMR had only two hits off Hawk starter Patrick Larm over the first six innings, but a leadoff single by Cody Bass, a sacrifice bunt and a two-out single off the bat of Brandon Cogan tied the score.
However, the Hawks were able to get their leadoff man on in the seventh when Drew Chandler reached on an error. One out later, Jason Brown drove in the winning run with a single into left field.
Mark Phillips took the loss for the Miners despite allowing just three hits in 6 1/3 innings.
In the nightcap, the Miners stranded eight runners in 10 innings and wasted another strong pitching effort by junior lefthander Matt Campbell, who shut the Hawks out on two hits over the first nine innings.
UMR had runners on base in eight of the first nine innings, with good scoring chances in both the eighth and ninth innings. The Miners got back-to-back hits from Gerad Fox and Bass in the eighth with one out, but Bass was thrown out at second trying to stretch his hit into a double. Fox was then stranded on third.
In the ninth, Thomas McCormick and Robbie Martin both got hits with one out, but the Miners couldn't get another hit in the inning to break the scoreless tie.
The Hawks won the game in the tenth inning off reliever Brian Rickert, as Myers led off with a double and eventually scored on a bases loaded walk to pinch-hitter Rick Pisani.
UMR, which is now 5-11 in one-run games this year, fell to 16-24 overall and 9-21 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play heading into its final homestand of the season, which will start Saturday with a doubleheader against Quincy at the UMR Baseball Field.
The Miners and Quincy will also play a single game Sunday before Rockhurst comes to Rolla for a single game Tuesday to close UMR's home schedule.
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