SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State blasted a season-high six home runs, capped by a Mason Hull grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning that gave the Bears a 17-5 run-rule win over visiting Belmont at Hammons Field.
The Bears (20-16, 9-4 Missouri Valley Conference) ran their conference win streak to seven games, as Hull and Taeg Gollert each homered twice and Zack Stewart and Cam Cratic also went yard, making it the second time in the last three games that MSU teammates hit multiple homers in the same contest.
It was also Hull’s fourth career multi-homer game and third career grand slam, tying him with seven other players for MSU’s career record for grand slams. The Bears’ five slams as a team this year put them one behind the 1996, 1999 and 2016 clubs for the school single-season record.
Belmont (20-19, 5-8) took a 2-0 lead in the second inning and the Bears responded with seven unanswered in their next three at bats, scoring on Jake McCutcheon’s RBI single in the second, Stewart’s two-run home homer in the third, and a balk, Nick Rodriguez RBI single and Hull two-run homer in the fourth.
The Bruins hit a three-run homer in the seventh to cut the gap to 7-5, then Gollert answered with a two-run homer in the bottom half, Cratic added a solo shot and Stewart walked with the bases loaded for an 11-5 advantage.
Gollert struck again in the eighth, launching the first pitch he saw out of the park for his second multi-homer game this month, Rodriguez added another RBI single, and Hull ended it with the grand slam minutes before thunderstorms rolled over Hammons Field.
Brandt Thompson went five innings in the start, striking out five in the winning decision.
Hull’s six RBI established a career high for the fifth-year senior, while Gollert and Stewart drove in three apiece. Seven different Bears scored at least two runs.
The series continues Friday with a 10:45 a.m. first pitch.
