WESTFIELD, Ind. – Missouri S&T fell short Saturday in an elimination game at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, dropping a 9-8 decision to Indianapolis on a cool, windy morning at Grand Park.

The Miners, who lost consecutive games for the first time since early March, dropped to 35-17 on the season but do expect to receive a bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional when the field is announced Sunday night.    S&T was ranked third in the region heading into the GLVC Tournament and did win its first round contest Thursday before dropping the last two.

The Greyhounds (34-19), who were ranked sixth in the region this week, jumped on the Miners early, scoring five times and knocking S&T starter Trent Green (Perryville, Mo./Perryville) out of the game after facing just seven hitters in the process.  Colin Hawk's RBI single started the scoring as UIndy sent nine batters to the plate in the opening frame.

But in the bottom half of the first – on a day when a stiff wind was blowing out to left – S&T answered right back with three, as Tyler Bodenstab (Independence, Mo./Truman) tripled and scored on a hit by Eli Miller (Shelbyville, Ill./Shelbyville), which was then followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Nick Ulrich (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney).

After missing an opportunity with the bases loaded and one out in the second, the Miners cut the Greyhound lead in half in the third when Ulrich led off with a double and scored when Lance Portwood (Edmond, Okla./Edmond Santa Fe) reached on a bunt single; a wild throw to first brought Ulrich home.

UIndy got that run back in the fourth on Anthony Asalon's sacrifice fly, but S&T responded in its half of the fourth by scoring three to take its first lead of the contest.

Back-to-back singles by Trevor Karbowski (Standish, Mich./Sterling Central) and Adam Richter (Breese, Ill./Mater Dei) forced a pitching change for the Greyhounds, then Bodenstab greeted Dylan Stutsman with an opposite field single to score Karbowski.  Justus Nelson (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) followed with a bloop hit down the line in right to drive in Richter.

Moments later, Ulrich put the Miners in front with a hit that dropped in front of centerfielder Devon Hensley.

In the fifth, the Greyhounds got three straight two-out hits, the third by Dylan Jones, to tie the game back up at seven and regained the lead when Hawk hit Luke Marcheschi (Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic)'s first pitch of the seventh inning out the park.

UIndy added a second run in the seventh on Storm Joop's sacrifice fly, one pitch after a balk had been called to advance Kyle Orloff to third.

S&T got back-to-back doubles from Tyler Johnson (Union, Mo./Union) and Karbowski with two outs in the seventh to trim the Greyhound lead to one, but Karbowski was thrown out at third trying to stretch his hit into a triple to end the inning.

The Miners got a runner on base in the eighth when pinch-hitter Lucas Swindle (Weldon Spring, Mo./Lutheran-St. Charles) was hit by a pitch with two outs, but Stutsman got Miller to hit into a fielder's choice to end the inning and retired S&T in order in the ninth to get the win in relief.

Marcheschi took the loss, despite pitching well in a relief appearance that lasted 6 1/3 innings.

UIndy outhit the Miners 14-12, with Ulrich getting three hits and Bodenstab and Karbowski two apiece for S&T.

The NCAA will announce its field Sunday at 9 p.m. on a video broadcast available at www.ncaa.com.