RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Tech junior pitcher Patrick Miner got the ball for ATU in the season-opener in Houston and the right-hander has proved all season long that he is more than worthy of "Game One Starting Pitcher" billing. On Friday afternoon, Miner took that up a notch by putting together his best, most-efficient and most-dominant game of the year to help lift the Wonder Boys to a 4-1 win in the series-opener.
 
Miner would go the distance and matched his career-high in strikeouts with 10. He also flirted with a shutout and no-hitter into the ninth inning, but Southeastern Oklahoma was able to notch a run and a hit off Miner before it was all said and done.
 
For Miner, he has now struck out 10 batters in consecutive games and has racked up 28 in his last three starts.
 
The team win for the Wonder Boys (24-14, 21-10) was significant on a couple of fronts as it assures the team a home game in the opening round of the upcoming single-elimination GAC Tournament. That game will be played on Friday, May 14 at a time to be determined. It also keeps the Wonder Boys' chances of at least a share of the GAC Regular Season Championship alive.
 
In getting the win, the Wonder Boys scored single runs in the second and third innings. The run in the second scored Trace Maddux on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kandon Bennett. Earlier in the inning, Maddux led off with a single to right field and then stole second. Jonathon Arrieta singled to left in the at-bat following to push Maddux to third where he was then driven in by the aforementioned Bennett.
 
In the third, the Wonder Boys plated that run on a solo home run out to left field off the bat of Evan Hafley. It was Hafley's eighth home run of the season.
 
The Wonder Boyd would not score in the fourth and fifth innings, but added their final two runs in the bottom of the sixth. The first run came on a solo home run out to right field off the bat of Matt Robbins, his fourth of the year. The second run scored on a hustle double up the middle by Maddux that scored Josh Detweiler, who singled earlier in the inning.
 
Those four runs of support were more than enough for Miner as he kept the Savage Storm (17-20. 13-18 GAC) without a hit until the top of the ninth inning. Prior to the ninth, Southeastern managed just one base runner on a one-out walk in the top of the fifth.
 
The Wonder Boys and Savage Storm were scheduled to play a doubleheader against Southeastern Oklahoma on Friday, but a lingering thunderstorm settled over Russellville just after the completion of Miner's gem and prompted the game to push to Saturday afternoon.
 
The two teams will now play a doubleheader beginning at Noon. Senior Day ceremonies will now take place in-between games. As part of that ceremony, the Wonder Boys will be honoring 10 out-bound seniors on the team. Among those are Elijah Boyer, Hayes Cox, Drew Bailey, Matt Robbins, Riyan Rodriguez, Gabriel Garcia, Nick Kovar, Joe Morin, JT Berry, and Jonathon Arrieta.