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SPRINGFIELD – Logan Geha clubbed a two-run homer in the sixth inning and three Missouri State pitchers combined to limit Indiana State to one hit and only three baserunners in a 4-1 victory that secured the Bears’ fifth Missouri Valley Conference regular-season crown Saturday afternoon at Hammons Field.
With the victory, MSU (35-14, 16-0 MVC) remained unbeaten in Valley play with its conference-record 20th consecutive regular-season league win, surpassing Wichita State’s 19-game win streak in 1981-82 as the longest in MVC history. The Bears, who last dropped a conference game 52 weeks ago on May 14, 2016 at DBU, also matched the Shockers 1998 squad for the best-ever start to a Valley season with their 16th win in as many MVC games this spring.
Dylan Coleman (7-2) notched his league-best seventh mound victory of the season after holding ISU (24-22, 10-7 MVC) to one hit—a leadoff single by Tyler Friis in the fourth—over 7.0 strong innings. The sophomore matched a season high with eight strikeouts, allowing the lone Sycamore run in the fifth after a walk, stolen base, wild pitch and Cody Gardner sacrifice fly handed the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Geha’s first career home run would prove to be the difference in a pitcher’s duel that saw both starting pitchers work into the sixth inning of a 1-1 game. MSU answered the Sycamore tally with one of its own in the bottom of the fifth, using a leadoff walk to Geha, a John Privitera sac bunt and one of Hunter Steinmetz’s three singles to even the score.
After ISU starter Tyler Ward (4-3) recorded back-to-back strikeouts following a hit batsman to start the sixth, Geha blasted the first pitch he saw into the Missouri State bullpen in left-center field to put the Bears in front, 3-1.
Alex Jefferson’s one-out single started another MSU rally in the eighth, as the Bears tacked on an insurance run after Sycamore reliever Ethan Larrison plunked Geha, then uncorked a pair of two-out wild pitches to bring in a fourth MSU run.
That would prove to be more than enough for the Bears’ mound corps, as Jake Fromson worked a perfect eighth, and Bryan Young struck out a pair of Sycamores in the ninth to close out his sixth save of the season. In all, the three MSU hurlers retired the final 14 ISU hitters in succession.
For the second-straight game in the series, the bottom third of the Bears’ batting order provided a key spark, as Jefferson, Geha and Privitera combined to go 5-for-9 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Steinmetz matched a season best with three hits in five at-bats, including the game-tying RBI single in the fifth.
The Bears and Sycamores will conclude their three-game series with a 1 p.m. game Sunday, in what will mark the final home game for MSU’s eight seniors.
