CARBONDALE, Ill. – Missouri State turned in its best offensive performance in nine years to extend its perfect Missouri Valley Conference start with a 19-9 victory over Southern Illinois Saturday afternoon at Itchy Jones Stadium.
The Bears (32-14, 13-0 MVC) used a series of big innings, including a four-run second and a nine-run ninth, to pull away for their 17th consecutive regular-season Valley win and their 13th in a row to start the 2017 MVC season. John Privitera went 2-for-3 with two walks and drove home runs in four different MSU scoring rallies, while Blake Graham and Jake Burger each belted three-run homers to give the Bears some much-needed breathing room.
After drawing seven walks in Friday’s series-opening victory, the Bears once again capitalized on the Salukis’ charity with 10 free passes—eight of which came around to score—in game two. In all, MSU’s 19 runs represented its best single-game scoring output since a 21-run outburst at Indiana State on May 4, 2008.
Thanks to four bases on balls from SIU starter Michael Baird (4-3) in the second, the Bears jumped out to an early four-run advantage, getting a leadoff double from Jeremy Eierman to spark their first big rally of the day. An Alex Jefferson sacrifice fly brought in the first run of the game, before Privitera drew a bases-loaded walk and Hunter Steinmetz’s fielder’s choice grounder and an SIU error produced three more tallies.
SIU (23-25, 6-8 MVC) would get on the board in the third after Dyllin Mucha tripled and Connor Kopach singled to cut the margin to 4-1. Kopach’s MVC-leading 30th steal of the season, plus a Dylan Coleman wild pitch set up Greg Lambert’s RBI grounder to third that pulled the Salukis to within two runs.
But the Bears would respond immediately, striking for two more in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Privitera and a Steinmetz sac liner to right to reclaim their four-run cushion.
MSU chased Baird—a preseason All-MVC choice—after just 4.0 innings over which the right-hander walked five and allowed six runs. Graham extended the Bears’ lead to 9-2 in the fifth, blasting his sixth round-tripper of the season over the left-center field wall after Burger singled and Eierman walked to start the inning.
The home club would chip away at the seven-run gap, however, as the Salukis scored four times on four hits in the fifth, chasing Coleman after 4 2/3 innings. Nick Hutchins and Ryan Sabo delivered run-scoring hits, and Will Farmer plated another with a sacrifice fly to center.
Nate Witherspoon relieved Coleman and promptly retired the first five hitters he faced to stop the bleeding, but SIU scratched out another run in the seventh on a Jake Hand base hit and a Hutchins double to slice the MSU lead to 9-7.
Jake Fromson escaped the inning by inducing back-to-back ground balls to preserve the two-run lead, and the Bears converted Jack Duffy’s second hit of the game into their 10th run of the day on Privitera’s RBI single.
After Fromson retired the Salukis in order in the eighth, the Bears broke the contest wide open by sending 12 men to the plate in the ninth. After Burger reached safely on a wild pitch after striking out to start the inning, eight of the next nine MSU hitters would reach safely. Graham doubled home the first run of the rally, before Logan Geha was hit by a pitch and Privitera walked with the bases loaded to force home two more. Steinmetz followed with an RBI single, and Justin Paulsen plated two with a double to right.
Burger capped the scored with a three-run shot to left-center—his 19th of the season—to wrap up a day that saw the junior All-American score three times and drive in three more runs.
SIU pushed home a pair of unearned runs in the home half, before Alex Moore closed out the win by inducing a pair of infield pop ups. Witherspoon (3-3) earned the win in relief, allowing one run on two hits over his 1.2 innings, while Fromson retired all five hitters he faced.
Graham also posted a big afternoon, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs, and Duffy (2-for-4) scored three runs with his second multi-hit effort of the series.
The Bears and Salukis will conclude the series Sunday with a 1 p.m. game.
