By Eric Doennig (MSU Sports Information)
Missouri State relied on the long ball to secure its seventh-consecutive victory, as three Bears went deep to account for all of MSU’s offense in a 5-3 win over Central Arkansas Saturday afternoon at Hammons Field. Jake Burger‘s three-run shot with two out in the bottom of the sixth inning was the decisive blow, turning a 3-2 UCA lead into a two-run MSU advantage.
The win was highlighted by yet another strong outing from the Missouri State bullpen, which turned in 3 1/3 scoreless innings behind the combined efforts of Nate Witherspoon, Trey Turner and Bryan Young. Witherspoon (1-1) earned his first mound victory with a hitless inning, while Turner struck out two of the four hitters he faced.
Young closed the victory for his 30th save as a Bear, but not before putting the potential tying run aboard on a William Hancock single and a hit batsman. The senior got Eddie Sanchez to roll a ground ball to second for the final out, handing the Bears the series victory, as well as their first 9-1 start to a season since 1991.
Burger’s blast marked the third Missouri State homer of the afternoon and capped a 2-for-4 day for the junior All-American. Jeremy Eierman lofted his fifth home run of the season to open the scoring for the Bears in the second, before Skalnik delivered the first round-tripper of his MSU career to cut the Bears’ deficit to one run in the fourth.
After being held scoreless in Friday’s series opener, Central Arkansas wasted no time in putting its offense in motion in game two of the series. The Bears used a leadoff walk, a one-out single by Hunter Strong and a hit batsman to load the bases, and Rigo Aguilar’s base hit to right plated a pair for an early 2-0 UCA advantage that halted the Bears’ scoreless streak at 30 consecutive innings.
Missouri State generated early scoring chances in each of the first two innings, but UCA was able to maintain its lead thanks to the clutch pitching of starter Jacob Murray. In the home half of the first, Alex Jefferson singled with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch, only to watch Murray retire Burger and Justin Paulsen on ground balls to end the inning.
After Eierman launched his second home run of the series to start the second, Aaron Meyer and Jack Duffy singled to set up another MSU threat. But Murray coaxed a pop up to short off the bat of Hunter Steinmetz to avoid further damage.
After Strong singled and scored for the second time in the top of the third, Burger initiated a Bears scoring chance in the home half, lashing a two-strike offering to left for a one-out single, before Paulsen drew a walk. Murray induced a fielder’s choice grounder to third from Eierman, then retired Meyer on a first-pitch pop fly to center to wiggle out of another jam.
Skalnik started the fourth with a solo shot into the Bears’ bullpen in left, before Murray stranded three more runners in the fourth and fifth innings to preserve the lead.
The sixth would serve as the turning point, however, as Duffy and Jefferson each drew walks to set the stage for Burger’s two-out drive off UCA reliever Gavin Tillery (0-1) that cleared the berm just beyond the left-field foul pole.
Witherspoon came up with a key strikeout to strand a pair of Central Arkansas (6-5) baserunners in the sixth, then retired two more Bears after a leadoff walk to start the seventh. Turner extinguished the threat by blowing strike three past Josh Somdecerff to leave another UCA runner at second.
Turner cruised through a 1-2-3 eighth inning, getting Keaton Presley looking for his second strikeout and retiring Brooks Balisterri on a fly ball to right to get the game into Young’s hands with a two-run cushion intact.
Missouri State will conclude its three-game series with UCA Sunday (March 5) at 1:05 p.m.
