Missouri State scored four early runs to give junior pitcher Jordan Knutson all the offensive support he would need in a 6-2 Bears victory over SIU Edwardsville Friday afternoon at Hammons Field. Knutson struck out a career-high nine batters over 7.0 scoreless innings, as MSU improved to 7-1 on the season with its fourth consecutive win.
The Bears built a six-run lead thanks to a trio of two-run rallies over the first six innings, while Knutson stymied the Cougars all afternoon, holding the visitors to three singles. Sophomore reliever Jake Fromson picked up right where Knutson left off, mowing down all three SIUE batters he faced in the eighth to extend MSU’s string of consecutive scoreless innings to 21 in a row over the last three games.
MSU grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the second when Blake Graham lofted a leadoff triple into the gap in right-center – one of his two extra-base hits on the day – and Matt Fultz singled him home for the game’s first tally. Alex Jefferson followed with a run-scoring double to right to cap the rally.
Spencer Johnson extended the margin to 4-0 the following inning when he launched his second home run in as many games with Justin Paulsen aboard on a leadoff double. Johnson, one of three different Bears with at least three home runs over the first eight games of the season, also walked twice and scored two runs in a productive afternoon at the plate.
Paulsen turned in a strong day at the dish as well, going 2-for-4, including a two-out, two-run single to left-center in the sixth that handed Knutson and the Bears a commanding 6-0 edge.
Knutson got stronger as the day progressed, eclipsing his previous personal best for strikeouts by the sixth inning. He retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced, with the only Cougar to reach base coming on a two-out error in the sixth.
Fromson cruised through a 1-2-3 eighth, before Nick Brown ran into trouble in the ninth, allowing the first runs by an MSU opponent since the fifth inning of Sunday’s 11-4 victory at Austin Peay. In the interim, the Bears outscored their three opponents by a combined 18-0 margin.
SIUE starter P.J. Schuster (0-2) suffered the loss for the Cougars, who remained winless in seven games this season. Brendan Miller worked 4.0 innings of relief, allowing two runs on three hits.
The Bears (7-1) and Cougars (0-7) will meet again Saturday (March 5) for game two at 2:05 p.m., before concluding the series at 1:05 p.m. Sunday.
