SPRINGFIELD, Mo. ? No. 26 Indiana State squared off against Missouri State on Thursday night in search of at least a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title in its sights with a win. However, the Sycamores (33-16, 15-5 MVC) could not shut down the potent Bears (30-19, 15-5 MVC) offense and dropped a 9-6 decision at Hammons Field.
ISU starter Eric Valdez (5-4) suffered the loss for the Sycamores, after allowing nine earned runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings of work on the mound. Relievers Matt Bayes and Brendon Smith combined to throw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief out of the bullpen to keep ISU in the ballgame. MSU starter Aaron Meade (9-2) gave up six runs, five of which were earned, in eight innings of work while striking out eight to pick up the win for the Bears. Tim Clubb pitched a perfect ninth inning to pick up his first save of the season.
The Bears jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning off Valdez. Brayden Drake drove in the first run of the inning with a double off the left field wall and was later picked off by Valdez for the second out of the game. However, the Bears were not done as Chris Playter drove in a run with a bloop single to center field and Tyler Rogers scored the big blow of the inning with a three-run home to deep right field to give the Bears a five-run lead.
ISU crept back into the game in the top of the fourth inning to cut the Missouri State lead to two. Kyle Burnam reached on a fielding error by Drake at third base to lead off the inning and Luke Fieser advanced Burnam to third on a ground-rule double to left field later in the inning with one out. Nick Ciolli then singled up the middle to pick up a RBI as Fieser advanced to third and Burnam scored. Fieser then came in to score as Ciolli stole second as MSU catcher Dallas Hord threw the ball into center field trying to throw him out. Bronco Lafrenz followed and doubled to center field to score Ciolli for the third and final run of the inning and cut the lead to 5-3.
However, the Bears answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to widen the lead back to three runs at 6-3. The score stayed there until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Drake crushed a three-run home run way over the left field wall to make the score 9-3.
Indiana State would cut the lead to three in the top of the eighth inning, but it would be too little too late for the Sycamores. Brady Shoemaker reached on a one-out double, his second of the game, and Ciolli picked up a two-out walk ahead of Lafrenz who hit a towering three-run home run over the left field wall into the MSU bullpen to make the score 9-6. The home run was Lafrenz's 11th of the season, two shy of Shoemaker for the team lead in that category.
Lafrenz finished the game 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI to lead the way for ISU at the plate. Shoemaker added his two doubles to the mix and Ciolli drove in the only other run of the game for the Sycamores while scoring two runs.
The Sycamores and the Bears will resume their three-game series on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. EST at Hammons Field. Sophomore Jake Petricka (7-1) will take the mound for the Sycamores in game two against Missouri State junior Buddy Baumann (9-1).
