TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State scored late runs in both ends of its Missouri Valley Conference doubleheader with Missouri State Friday, using a two-out single in the ninth for a 7-6 walk-off win in game one, before scratching out a seventh-inning run for a 2-1 victory in the second contest.
Dane Giesler drove home the game winner in the opener, then logged his second two-hit performance of the day in the nightcap to help the Sycamores (26-16, 6-5 MVC) secure the series win. Giesler's two-out base hit in the bottom of the ninth handed the Sycamores the walk-off win in game one, capping a see-saw battle that saw ISU rally from two-run deficits on two separate occasions. Andy DeJesus, who led ISU's 14-hit attack with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, singled to start the rally, then trotted home when Giesler's bloop single fell in right-center to snap 6-6 tie.
Indiana State erased deficits of 2-0 and 5-3 after the Bears used a two-run rally in the first and long balls from Jeremy Eierman and Jake Burger to build early leads. The Sycamores struck back in the fifth to cut the margin to 5-4 on Dominic Bifano's RBI double, then took a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the eighth when Kaden Moore lined a triple to left-center to chase home two more runs.
With one on and two out in the ninth, Spencer Johnson leveled the score with a run-scoring double off the top of the wall in left-center to bring home Alex Jefferson, whose leadoff single started the MSU rally.
But ISU used DeJesus's third hit of the game to spark the decisive rally, as the senior second baseman laced a base hit to right, moved to second on Young's sac bunt and scored on Giesler's second hit in as many innings. Despite leaving 15 men on base, the Sycamores were able to rally for the win thanks to a balanced lineup that saw each starter record at least one hit.
The late heroics of DeJesus and Giesler made a winner of ISU closer Jeremy McKinney (4-3), who worked the ninth after 2.2 scoreless and hitless innings of relief from Ethan Larrison.
Bryan Young (1-2) suffered the loss for the Bears, allowing the deciding run on three total hits and two walks in his inning-and-a-third stint.
The Bears sixth Valley loss of the season followed a promising start that saw them take a first-inning lead for just the second time in their last 12 games. After falling behind early in each of their previous five games, the Bears struck right off the bat in game one, touching up ISU starter Ryan Keaffaber for two runs in the top of the first inning. Hunter Steinmetz started the game with a base hit to left, before Matt Dezort drew a walk and Burger’s hot shot to short was mishandled to load the bases. Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Eierman and Johnson scored a pair of runs to hand the Bears a 2-0 lead.
Bears starter Dylan Coleman came up with a clutch effort in the home half of the first after DeJesus singled and Young doubled to start the inning. With runners on second and third and nobody out, Coleman fanned both Hunter Owen and Giesler, then induced an inning-ending pop-fly to center on his first offering to Moore.
But a run-scoring double by Tony Rosselli and a two-out, two-run triple by Young in the third flipped the scales in the Sycamores' favor.
Eierman answered the ISU rally in the top of the third, lifting his sixth home run in 15 games over the wall in left-center field with a man aboard to put the Bears back on top. Burger followed suit with two out in the fifth, belting his NCAA Division I-leading 18th home run of the season to stretch the MSU lead to 5-3.
Steinmetz (2-for-5) and Eierman (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) led the way for MSU, while Dezort singled, walked and scored twice.
In the second game, Jordan Knutson (5-4) held the Sycamores to five hits over 6 1/3 innings, as he dueled with ISU starter Tyler Ward (6-3) to keep the game scoreless through five frames. Knutson allowed just a first-inning double to DeJesus and a two-out single to Giesler in the fourth, while Ward permitted an Aaron Meyer double and a base hit by Burger over the first five innings.
But Indiana State used a leadoff single by Young to generate the game's first scoring rally in the home half of the sixth. Knutson's fourth wild pitch of the game moved the runner into scoring position, and Giesler lined a two-out base hit to left to bring in Young for a 1-0 ISU lead.
MSU would answer in the seventh, as Blake Graham got the ball rolling with a one-out hit to left, and Jefferson moved him to third with a hit-and-run single through the left side of the ISU infield. Matt Fultz brought Graham home with a sharply hit bouncer to third, narrowly beating the relay from second on the Sycamores' attempt to turn what would have been a rally-killing double-play ball.
Hunter Owen's sacrifice fly in the seventh once again put the Sycamores in control. Tyler Friis singled to start the inning, then moved to third courtesy of a walk to DeJesus and a hit-by-pitch to Young before Owen plated the go-ahead tally with a fly ball off Jake Fromson.
MSU (28-13, 3-7 MVC) never seriously threatened from that point, getting just one more baserunner via a Steinmetz single in the eighth. McKinney locked up the save with two perfect innings, inducing a double-play ball in the eighth, before working a 1-2-3 ninth to finish off the win for ISU.
Due to the forecast of inclement weather, the Bears and Sycamores will now play a 5:30 p.m. (Central) game Saturday (April 30) to conclude their series.
