Miners take make-up contest over Hawks

Danny Trenner

The Miners have had some bad luck lately in one-run games, but got one to go in their favor Wednesday as they pulled out a 4-3 victory over Rockhurst at the S&T Baseball Field.

The victory came in a make-up game of a March 30 rainout and also allowed MIssouri S&T to win the season series over the Hawks as they took the last three games from them. It also puts the Miners into a three-way tie for fourth place in the Great Lakes Valley Conference's West Division along with Rockhurst and Missouri-St. Louis, the team it will face this weekend in a four-game series.

S&T got off to a quick start Wednesday as it put three runs on the board in the opening inning. After the first batter was retired, Gerad Fox singled and Zac Carter reached on an error, then Thomas McCormick delivered a run-scoring double to put the Miners in front.

Eaf Redden followed with a two-run single to give starter Jordan Buck a three-run lead to work with.

However, the Hawks got to Buck in the fourth starting with a leadoff double by Tyler Rzepka. Following a walk to Jordan Myers, Rockhurst got four straight hits off the S&T hurler to tie the contest and bring about a pitching change.

Danny Trenner entered the game with the bases loaded and nobody out, but got Dustin Ladyman to hit a ball right back to him to start a home-to-first double play and retired Tom Stevison on a pop fly to keep the game tied.

Trenner had to pitch out of another bases loaded jam in the sixth, but got Stevison again in that situation by getting him to hit into a force out.

The Miners then took the lead back for good in the bottom half of the inning with an error starting the rally. Drew Davenport reached on the miscue, then a one-out double by Yaimel Javier-Cury and a hit by Louie Joseph put S&T in front.

From there, relievers Matt Lange and Brian Rickert finished off the Hawks with Lange throwing two solid innings -- giving up just a two-out hit in the eighth -- and Rickert firing a perfect ninth to wrap up the Miners' sixth win in GLVC and 12th overall.

McCormick had two of the Miners' seven hits in the contest.

S&T (12-17, 6-10 GLVC) will open a four-game home series Friday with UMSL with a 2 p.m. single game at the S&T Baseball Field. The Miners and Tritons will play a doubleheader Saturday and another single game Sunday to close the weekend set.