Eric Doennig (MSU Sports Information) SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A pair of clutch two-run doubles and seven strong innings from Doug Still helped Missouri State wrap up a Missouri Valley Conference series sweep of Bradley with a 9-2 victory Sunday afternoon at Hammons Field.
For the third consecutive game in the series, the Bears overcame an early Bradley lead to pull out a victory. Alex Jefferson’s two-out double in the bottom of the second turned a one-run deficit into a 2-1 Bears lead, before Justin Paulsen’s two-run shot off the right-field wall plated two more to stretch the MSU advantage to four runs.
Paulsen finished 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, while Jeremy Eierman and Jake Burger continued their weekend assault on the Bradley pitching staff with each recording their third two-hit game of the series.
Still (3-1) needed just 77 pitches to complete his outing, allowing just two runs on four hits–three of which came in the top of the second to hand BU its lone lead of the game. The junior lefty struck out four and walked just one, while his 7.0 innings matched a career best.
Derek Bangert and Ian Kristan started the rally with back-to-back singles before Andy Shadid brought the game’s first runner home with a chopper up the third-base line that went for an infield single.
Still responded by retiring 13-straight hitters and would not yield another hit until Kristan led off the seventh with a double to right-center field.
By that time, the Bears added their third run of the day on Burger’s line-drive single to center in the fifth and two more on Paulsen’s double to take a 5-1 lead into the seventh.
The Bears (18-9, 3-0 MVC) put the game out of reach with four more runs in the eighth, as six straight MSU hitters reached safely after Ryan Hodgett dispatched the first two batters of the inning. Hunter Steinmetz doubled for his second hit of the game to start the rally, and four straight walks from Hodgett and Matthew Richey brought home two more runs.
Aaron Meyer’s looping single to right drove home the final two tallies and finished a 2-for-5 day at the plate for the senior second baseman.
In all, five different Bears recorded two-hit afternoons and seven of MSU’s nine position starters logged at least one hit.
Burger and Eierman combined to go 11-for-23 on the weekend, battering Braves (10-15, 0-3 MVC) pitching for five home runs and 12 RBIs in the three-game series.
Up next, the Bears welcome Kansas to Hammons Field for a non-conference tilt at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (April 4) evening.
