Eric Doennig (MSU Sports Information) ST. LOUIS – Behind the one-two punch of Jake Burger and Jeremy Eierman, Missouri State turned in its best offensive performance of the season in a 15-8 non-conference victory over Saint Louis Monday evening at the Billiken Sports Center.
The Missouri Valley Conference’s top power duo combined to go 6-for-10 and drive in nine of the Bears’ (23-13) season-high 15 runs. Burger punctuated a six-run second inning with a grand slam, while Eierman logged his second-consecutive four-hit game that included a Missouri State record-matching three doubles and a key three-run, ninth-inning homer.
Burger’s 15th home run of the season—and the 40th of his Missouri State career—staked the Bears to a 7-0 lead, before Eierman doubled home runs in the fourth and eighth innings to help stave off a Billiken comeback that would ultimately chop the MSU lead to one run.
After SLU’s three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh made it a 9-8 contest, Eierman drove home Hunter Steinmetz with his third double of the night, matching an MSU single-game record achieved on 20 previous occasions. He would put the final nail in SLU’s coffin in the top of the ninth, belting a three-run shot to left-center that turned an 11-8 lead into a six-run cushion.
The Bears, who scored in seven different innings in Saturday’s 8-0 win at New Mexico, kept their high-powered offense rolling by putting at least one run on the scoreboard in six frames Monday. Eierman, who leads the MVC in RBIs with 43, now has hits in nine of his last 11 at-bats over the last three games.
MSU seized control from the onset, as Steinmetz set the tone for the evening in the top of the first, lining a 2-2 offering from SLU starter Garret Acton into center for a base hit, before scoring on Justin Paulsen’s double into the right-field corner.
Aaron Meyer doubled the MSU lead with the first of two Missouri State home runs in the second inning. Back-to-back walks, followed by a fielding error loaded the bases, and Steinmetz’s sacrifice fly to center plated Blake Graham to make it a three-run advantage. A third walk in the rally brought Burger to the plate and the All-American made Acton and the Billikens pay, driving the first MSU grand slam of the season over the wall in left-center for a 7-0 cushion.
But the Billikens (21-12) would battle back with a big inning of their own in the home half of the second, using a pair of walks from MSU starter Kolton Gonnerman and a Jake Garella single to load the bases. A wild pitch brought in the first SLU run of the game, and Trent Leimkuehler doubled home two more to slice the deficit to 7-3.
After Nate Witherspoon (2-3) was summoned from the bullpen, a pair of ground balls produced a fourth tally, before Nick Reeser left the yard with a two-out solo shot to draw SLU to within two runs.
Witherspoon and SLU reliever Charlie Sheehan would take command over the middle innings, however. Following Reeser’s homer in the second, Witherspoon would allow only a third-inning hit from Garella over a career-best 5 1/3 innings to preserve the lead into the seventh.
Sheehan surrendered a fourth-inning run on Eierman’s second double of the night that scored Burger all the way from first following his one-out single. But the right-hander settled into a groove to retire nine straight batters to keep the Billikens within striking distance. ‘
After Graham’s one-out double in the seventh ended Sheehan’s day, Logan Geha’s two-out single brought the runner home from second to push the MSU lead to 9-5.
But the Billikens would respond with another big rally in the home half to pull back to within one run. Aaron Case walked with one out, before three of the next four SLU hitters recorded hits, highlighted by Devin Mahoney’s two-out, two-run single that drove in the second and third Billiken runs of the inning.
Steinmetz’s leadoff single and Eierman’s record-tying third double of the game sparked a two-run Bears’ rally in the eighth, however. Graham drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the second run, extending the MSU lead to 11-8.
A pair of two-out walks ignited a four-run outburst in the ninth for MSU. After Aaron Patton put both Paulsen and Burger aboard via free passes, Eierman launched his 14th long ball of the season to double the Bears’ lead. Landan Ruff would add a single and swipe second before scoring the final run of the night on Graham’s fielder’s choice bouncer.
Jake Fromson would work the final 2 2/3 innings to earn his first save of the season, while Witherspoon earned the victory after allowing three runs on three hits.
The Bears continue their road swing with another non-conference matchup with an in-state rival when they travel to Columbia Tuesday (April 18) for a 6:30 p.m. contest with Missouri at Taylor Stadium.
