BOX SCORE

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Doug Mead snapped a 7-7 tie with a two-run single in the top of the 12th inning to lift Southwest Minnesota State to a 9-7 victory over Missouri-St. Louis on Friday afternoon in Winter Haven, Fla.

SMSU (3-4) trailed 7-5 after seven innings but pushed across single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to send the game to extra innings.

Tyler Jendro picked up the win in relief, tossing four shutout innings, allowing just one batter to reach base, while striking out three.

Jendro was also solid at the plate, finishing 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while also collecting a clutch two-out single in the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Tyler Fayden and Chris Eichten also both finished with three hits for SMSU, which finished with 17 hits. Josh Wendland and Tyler Flattum also had multi-hit games with two hits each.

Trailing 1-0 into the fourth, SMSU rallied with a five-run fourth inning on an RBI ground out by Chris Eichten and a run-scoring double by Josh Wendland. Mark Hanson followed with a two-run single before Tyler Fayden capped the inning with an RBI single.

UMSL (2-3) took advantage of a fly ball lost in the sun to score a run in the fourth and then regained the lead in the fifth by pushing across four runs, including two unearned, to take a 6-5 lead. The Tritons plated another run in the sixth off of SMSU reliever Nate Dickhausen to build a 7-5 lead.

SMSU made its comeback in the eighth inning as Jendro, Eichten and Tyler Flattum all singled to load the bases. Jordan Kontz hit a sac fly to make the score 7-6, but that was all SMSU was able to score in the inning.

In the ninth, Fayden led the inning off with a double, but back-to-back strikeouts, put SMSU down to its last out. Jendro though came through with a bloop single to center field to score Fayden and tie the game.

In the 12th, Eichten led the inning off with an infield single and moved to third base on a sac bunt by Flattum and a throwing error by the pitcher. A wild pitch moved Flattum to second, before Kontz was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Mead then slapped a single through the right side to give SMSU a 9-7 lead.

Jendro then closed the door with a perfect 12th inning to secure SMSU's second straight victory.

Chris Koep started for SMSU and pitched the first 4.2 innings, allowing six runs, but just two earned, while striking out seven and walking two.

SMSU will conclude its Florida road trip tomorrow morning with a 9 a.m. game versus Ashland (Ohio) in Auburndale, Fla.