Wayne State College dropped a pair of non-conference baseball games Saturday as Missouri S&T swept the Wildcats 12-11 and 10-4 in action at Rolla, Mo.
In the first game, Wayne State (2-3) rallied from a 6-2 deficit to take leads of 9-6 in the sixth and 11-10 in the seventh, but the Miners responded to each rally, finishing off with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to win a wild opener.
Trailing 6-2 in the sixth, Wayne State scored seven runs on six hits to take a 9-6 lead, highlighted by Cody Jenkins’ three-run homer and a two-run double by Kyle Thompson. Bodie Cooper, Cody Castro and Tanner Simons added RBI singles in the rally.
Missouri S&T came back with four in the bottom of the inning to lead 10-9, but Wayne State came back fro two more in the seventh, using singles by Castro and Aaron Krier to take an 11-10 lead. The Miners responded with two in the bottom of the seventh to come away with the win.
Simons led Wayne State’s 13-hit attack by going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Castro was 2-for-4 with a two RBI and two runs scored while David Janes and Krier each recorded two hits. Jenkins had a three-run homer while Thompson produced a two-run double.
Spencer Johnson, the last of six Wildcat pitchers, was tagged with the loss working the seventh inning in relief, allowing three hits and two runs in two-thirds of an inning.Starter Bobby St. Pierre lasted three innings and was charged with six runs on five hits with one strikeout and three walks.
In the nightcap, Missouri S&T use a four-run fourth inning to take control of the game and finish off the sweep.
Wayne State tied the game at 2-2 with two runs in the top of the second as Cooper doubled and scored on a Castro single, while David Janes scored on a throwing error.
Missouri S&T took the lead for good with a run in the third and four more in the fourth for a 7-2 advantage. Wayne State scored two on a two-run single by Tanner Simons, but The Miners added two more runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to finish off the win.
Simons and Cooper each went 2-for-4 with a double while Simons had two RBI. Castro finished 2-for-4 with an RBI while Krier, May and Janes each singled. Starting pitcher Taner Ledezma (0-1) suffered the pitching loss, yielding seven runs on seven hits in four innings of work. Freshman Lawson Zenner worked three innings of relief and gave up three runs on five hits with two strikeouts while Dalton Smith pitched the final inning and did not allow a hit with one walk and one strikeout.
The two teams meet again Sunday in a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. in Rolla, Mo.
