SPRINGFIELD –Missouri State built an eight-run lead behind a season-high four home runs and held off a late Dallas Baptist rally to secure its second Missouri Valley Conference series of the season with an 11-8 decision over the Patriots Saturday afternoon at Hammons Field.
After homering three times in Friday night’s series-opening 5-1 victory, MSU continued its power binge in game two, thanks in large part to the second and third round-trippers of the series from Justin Paulsen, as well as a solo shot by Jeremy Eierman and a key three-run blast late in the game from Aaron Meyer.
Meyer led the MSU charge with a career-best five RBIs, finishing just a single shy of hitting for the cycle with his 3-for-5 effort. The senior second baseman belted his first home run of the season in the eighth, launching a three-run shot that would prove to be critical to the outcome of the contest after DBU rallied for four runs in the ninth inning.
The Bears (20-10, 5-0 MVC) seized control of the contest from the onset, hitting for the cycle in the opening frame en route to a five-run rally that chased DBU starter Coby Weaver (0-2) after just 2/3 of an inning. Paulsen’s first homer of the day on a 3-2 offering from Weaver spurred MSU’s first-inning surge, before Meyer tripled home two more runs and Blake Graham continued his torrid stretch at the plate with an RBI double to cap the inning.
Paulsen delivered again in his next plate appearance, driving a 1-0 pitch from Kragen Keechely over the right-field wall to stretch the MSU lead to 6-0. The Bears would tack on single tallies in each of the next two innings as well, as Graham drove home his second run of the day with an RBI single after Meyer led off the third with a double into the right-field corner. Eierman lifted a leadoff homer over the left-field berm to start the fourth and hand MSU starter Dylan Coleman an 8-0 cushion.
Coleman (4-1) cruised through the first five innings, striking out Patriots and allowing just a pair of singles and a leadoff walk in the fifth that was erased by a 4-6-3 double-play ball.
But the Patriots offense would spring to life in the sixth, using back-to-back two-out walks to set the table for a four-run rally. Matt Duce drove in the first DBU run of the day with an RBI single, before Camden Duzenack banged a three-run homer off the left-field foul pole to pull his club to within four runs.
Bears reliever Jake Fromson worked his way out of a jam in the top of the seventh, fanning Tim Millard and Austin Listi to leave the bases full of Patriots with the 8-4 MSU lead still intact.
Meyer gave MSU some much-needed breathing room in the eighth, laying into a Gavin Fritz two-out offering for his first long ball of the season to give the Bears a seven-run lead.
DBU (18-12, 3-2 MVC) would pull to within three runs in the top of the ninth with two home runs of its own, as Millard clubbed a three-run shot and Matt Duce hit a solo blast off Jake Lochner.
But MSU closer Bryan Young slammed the door by striking out Camryn Williams for the final out, handing the Bears just their fourth 5-0 MVC start.
In addition to big days from Paulsen and Meyer, Eierman went 3-for-3 and matched a career high with three runs scored, while Graham and Hunter Steinmetz each added two-hit games as well.
Duce paced DBU’s 10-hit attack, finishing his day 3-for-5, and Stratman added a 2-for-4 effort.
The Bears will attempt to finish their second Valley series sweep in as many weeks Sunday (April 9), when the two clubs face off in a 1 p.m. contest.
