Despite holding Oklahoma State to five hits and striking out a season-high 16 hitters, Missouri State saw its six-game win streak come to an end with a 6-5 setback in 10 innings Tuesday afternoon in a battle of nationally-ranked teams at Hammons Field.
OSU’s Garrett Benge came through with a sacrifice liner to center that brought home Donnie Walton with the game-winning run in the top of the 10th inning, as the Cowboys (7-6) rallied twice against in the late innings against MSU’s bullpen. Walton, who delivered key hits in each of his final two at-bats to spark the OSU rallies, scored three times as part of a 2-for-4 day, while Benge came off the Cowboy bench to drive in the tying and go-ahead runs with two out in the top of the eighth against All-American closer Bryan Young (0-1).
Walton led off the decisive rally with a double to left, before moving to third on Corey Hassel’s sacrifice bunt. Benge wasted no time in putting the No. 22 Cowboys in front for good, lacing Young’s first offering to center, and Walton easily beat the relay to the plate.
The Cowboys’ 10th-inning rally came on the heels of a dramatic comeback in the home half of the ninth that saw the Bears erase a 5-4 deficit on Spencer Johnson’s one-out home run off Trey Cobb. MSU had a chance to end the game moments later, as Jake Burger singled to right and moved to third on Blake Graham’s base hit. But Cobb induced a bouncer to second off the bat of Alex Jefferson, and the throw to first from a stumbling Jacob Chappell barely nipped the MSU runner to halt the threat.
Cobb (1-3) was able to work around a one-out double by Aaron Meyer in the 10th to preserve the victory, handing the Bears their first loss in 51 games over the last two seasons in which they led after seven innings. MSU struggled in key scoring situations all afternoon, going 0-for-13 as a team with runners in scoring position.
The back-and-forth battle was waged in gloomy conditions that included a steady rainfall throughout the day, with OSU striking first by scoring three times with two outs against Bears starter Andy Cheray in the third. One of three wild pitches on the day for the senior lefty brought in Garrett McCain with the first run of the day, before Dustin Williams unloaded on a 2-1 pitch with two men aboard for an early 3-0 OSU lead.
The Bears responded immediately with a three-spot of their own, using a single by Meyer and back-to-back walks to Jeremy Eierman and Hunter Steinmetz to load the bases with nobody out. Burger’s fielder’s choice bouncer to second plated the first MSU run, and a throwing error on the tailor-made double-play ball kept the inning alive. Justin Paulsen coaxed a walk to force home a second tally, and a wild pitch allowed Steinmetz to trot home with the equalizing run.
Bears reliever Sam Perez seized control of the proceedings with another standout relief effort, following Cheray’s six-strikeout performance with seven punchouts of his own over a 4.2-inning stint. Matt Fultz’s one-out solo blast in the bottom of the sixth handed the Bears their lone lead of the day, and Perez’s dominant effort sent the game into the eighth with Williams’ long ball still the only OSU hit of the game.
But after Walton started the eighth with a base hit to right, Perez’s two-strike pitch to Hassel was ruled to have hit the batter, who appeared to be squaring in an attempt to sacrifice. Perez then fanned Williams before yielding to Young, who promptly struck out Jon Littell for the second out, despite a passed ball allowing both baserunners to move up a station. Benge then dealt the key blow, lining Young’s two-strike offering to right for a 5-4 Cowboy lead.
MSU generated a scoring chance in its home half of the eighth, putting two runners aboard via walks. But Cobb rescued OSU by inducing a fly ball to center before coming up with an inning-ending strikeout of Eierman.
It would take a laser shot off the bat of Johnson in the ninth to even the score. The MSU senior’s sixth home run in the last seven games cleared the fence and settled onto the berm in left-center field, pulling the Bears even again at 5-5. Johnson, who also drew a pair of walks in the game, extended his streak of reaching base safely to 26 consecutive contests.
Young suffered his first mound loss since April 12, 2014, after allowing his first run in four appearances this season. The junior struck out three and allowed three hits in his 2 2/3 innings.
Up next, the Bears (9-2) travel to Tennessee for a three-game weekend series against Memphis, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. tilt Friday (March 11) at FedEx Park.
