Zac Carter

After a ragged performance in the first game of a doubleheader that ended in a 4-1 loss to Harris-Stowe, the Missouri S&T baseball team used a big second inning and solid relief pitching to take a 7-5 victory in the nightcap to gain a split of the doubleheader.

The Miners scored six runs in the second inning to take a 6-1 lead in game two, then after the Hornets closed the gap to one in the third, S&T relievers David Birkby and Brian Rickert closed out the win by allowing just one hit and striking out six over the final four innings. Birkby was credited with the win and Rickert earned his second save of the season.

S&T's six-run rally started with two hit batters and a bloop single to load the bases with nobody out. Colt Johnson then hit a double off the fence in left center to bring home two runs to put S&T up 2-1. An groundout by Louie Joseph scored the third run of the inning, then Johnson was waved home on a balk by Hornet pitcher Jake Motta.

Later in the inning, after Andrew Vance walked and worked his way to third with a stolen base and a wild pitch, Zac Carter singled into center to score him. Carter would come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Yaimel Javier-Cury to close the scoring in the second.

Harris-Stowe scored four times off starter Kyle Griffin in the third, but the Miners were able to hold the lead and tacked on an additional run in the fifth on another RBI hit by Carter.

Carter and Johnson had two hits and two runs batted in apiece in the second game as the Miners finished with nine hits.

In game one, the Miners jumped on top in the third when Thomas McCormick reached on a fielder's choice that scored Joseph. S&T had a chance for more in the inning as it had the bases loaded with one out, but a double play brought about by an interference call halted that chance.

Jordan Buck shut out the Hornets over the first four innings, but Harris-Stowe touched Matt Campbell for a run in the fifth on a two-out infield single, then took advantage of a throwing error that brought in the go-ahead runs in the sixth.

S&T had just four hits in the opener with Joseph getting two of the singles.

The Miners (9-12) will return to action Friday when they host Rockhurst in the opening game of a four-game weekend series at the S&T Baseball Field. Game time will be at 2 p.m.; the teams will also play a doubleheader Saturday and a single contest Sunday.