SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State and UIC combined for 25 runs on 34 hits, including 15 for extra bases, Friday at Hammons Field, with the Flames closing on a 9-0 run to even the series with a 16-9 victory.
The Bears (15-18, 4-7 Missouri Valley Conference) led 2-0 after an inning on RBI singles from Curry Sutherland and Nick Rodriguez, got a sac fly from Caden Bogenpohl in the second to lead 3-1, then Bogenpohl and Dylan Leach launched back-to-back homers for the second time this week in a four-run fourth that also included an RBI double from Rodriguez for a 7-3 lead. MSU’s fifth set of consecutive homers this year marked the 11th of the season for both players.
UIC (21-11, 6-5) scored four in the sixth to tie it before Zack Stewart’s 13th homer of the season and 25th of his career in the bottom half made it 9-7.
It was all UIC after that, with three unearned runs in the seventh making it 10-9, three more in the eighth including Kendall Ewell’s second homer of the game, and another three-spot in the ninth for the final 16-9 margin.
The Bears loaded the bases with none out in the eighth and didn’t score.
Both Ewell and Zane Zielenski recorded five-hit days for the Flames.
Taeg Gollert doubled twice and went 3-for-4 for the Bears, Rodriguez went 3-for-5, while Bogenpohl, Sutherland, Jahlani Rogers and Izzy Lopez also netted two-hit games.
The series continues at 11 a.m. Saturday.
