ROLLA, Mo. - McKendree University baseball (17-26, 10-18 GLVC) captured its first #GLVCbase series victory of the season this weekend, defeating the Miners of Missouri S&T with three wins in four contests. The Bearcats captured the opener, 5-4, Saturday's first game, 13-8, and the finale, 16-12. McKendree sits 11th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference following the weekend with one conference series remaining on May 5-8 at Truman State.
Game 1
The Bearcats were forced to fight back early in the series, as they went down 3-0 in the first inning of the weekend.
McKendree made quick work of the comeback as outfielder
Brandon Roth blasted a two-run shot in the second with infielder
Michael Paule scoring on the play. Infielder
Noah Nelson knocked in the next run during the fifth with a single to left, which allowed outfielder
Katom Parnell to score. With Parnell's run, the Bearcats sat down just one run, 4-3, to the Miners.
McKendree pushed in the closing innings of the game with the tying run coming in the sixth behind a double by infielder
Brody Macak, scoring Paule. In the ninth, Parnell clobbered a double to left, bringing home the winning run in utility
Joey Kossina.
Kossina also grabbed the win on the mound with a complete game in the effort.
Game 2 (7 innings)
McKendree utilized a quick offensive build-up in the first game of the weekend doubleheader with five runs through three innings as Roth and Paule each homered while infielder
Austin Francis brought in a run via double. S&T put together a stretch to cut the McKendree lead to just one at 5-4.
Roth bumped the Bearcats' lead back to three runs with a two-run shot in the fifth, driving home Paule in the process. S&T tied the game in the sixth with three runs, 7-7.
McKendree went on a tear in the seventh with six runs as they took a 13-7 lead. The Miners added one but the Bearcats held off the remaineder for the battery for the win.
Jameson Strozier got the victory on the mound.
Game 3 (7 innings)
S&T fired away quickly in the third game of the weekend, taking a 13-0 lead at the end of the third inning. McKendree battled back hard as Macak battered a three-run homer in the fifth to begin the scoring for the Bearcats. McKendree went for seven runs in the fifth, making it a six run game.
The Miners added four more runs between the fifth and sixth with the Bearcats unable to mount a massive comeback. McKendree fell, 19-10, in the third game of the series.
Game 4
McKendree entered the finale of the weekend on a mission, scoring 13 runs throught he first three innings while owning a 10-run lead at that point. Two homers headlined the opening effort as infielder
Kyle Czarnecki and Parnell both fired multi-run shots.
S&T battled back with a slew of runs through the eighth but were unable to futher hold-off the Bearcats offensive explosion on the day. Macak doubled in the eighth to drive home Roth while outfielder
Eliott Wilk bombed a ball beyond left, scoring himself and Macak. McKendree led 16-11 at the end of the eighth. S&T was unable to break the Bearcats' staff to end the game, allowing McKendree to take the finale, 16-12.
UP NEXT
McKendree heads to Southern Indiana for a mid-week with the Screaming Eagles on Tuesday, April 26, before heading to Truman State on May 5-8.
