TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Brennyn Cutts went into the seventh inning and Luis Hernandez drove in all three Indiana State RBIs as the Sycamores topped Missouri State, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon at Bob Warn Field to even the weekend series.
 
The Sycamores (16-5, 1-1) picked up their first Missouri Valley win of the 2024 season courtesy of the strong performance from Cutts (3-1) and Jared Spencer (S, 2) on the mound, as well as key hitting from both Dominic Listi and Hernandez.
 
Cutts pitched the Sycamores out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the second inning and pitched around runners in scoring position in both the fourth and fifth frames in his longest outing of the 2024 season. The junior right-hander allowed five hits and four walks while striking out six over a 6.1-inning, 102-pitch outing as the Sycamores picked up their 11th consecutive win in the second game of an MVC series dating back to the 2022 season.
 
Cutts struck out Jahlani Rogers to open the top of the seventh, before walking Logan Chambers after a nine-pitch battle before turning the ball over to Spencer in the inning. The Sycamore relief ace pitched out of a bases-loaded situation catching MSU's Caden Bogenpohl looking at strike three to end the Missouri State's final scoring opportunity over the final three innings.
 
Hernandez provided all the run support the Sycamores would need following up Listi's leadoff single in the top of the fourth. His double to left center that rolled to the warning track allowed Listi to score from first to give ISU the 1-0 lead.
 
Hernandez would go on to add a two-run double that one-hopped the wall in left field in the bottom of the fifth inning scoring Adam Pottinger and Grant Magill to put ISU ahead 3-0.
 
Spencer retired the final seven batters he faced over 2.2 innings of work, recording three strikeouts in his second save of the season. Parker Stinson added a highlight fly with a sliding catch in foul territory in the ninth inning to help secure the shutout.
 
Hernandez extended his 20-game hitting streak on Saturday going 3-for-4 from the plate with a pair of doubles. Listi added a 2-for-3 day and was hit by a pitch to run his on-base streak to 21 consecutive games. Riley Iffrig, Pottinger, and Magill all singled for the Sycamores in the win.
 
Taeg Gollert doubled and had two hits to help lead a Missouri State offense that was limited to six hits on Saturday afternoon. Tyler Epstein added a pair of singles in the loss.
 
Jason Schaaf (0-1) took the loss on the mound for the Bears going 4.1 innings allowing five hits and three runs while walking one and striking out one. Kaleb Thomas pitched MSU out of trouble in the fifth inning, while Hunter Day recorded three shutout innings in relief.
 
How They Scored

• Luis Hernandez followed a Dominic Listi single with an RBI double in the left center gap to put Indiana State ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth.
• Hernandez added to the Indiana State lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as the junior first baseman connected on a two-out two-run double that one-hopped the wall in left field scoring Adam Pottinger and Grant Magill to make it 3-0 Sycamores. 

News & Notes

• Luis Hernandez extended his hitting streak to 20 consecutive games following RBI double to left center in the bottom of the fourth inning. He continues the longest hitting streak in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era dating back to the 2014 season and finished the day 3-for-4 from the plate.
• Dominic Listi extended his on-base streak to 21 games on Saturday afternoon after singling in the bottom of the fourth inning. He finished 2-for-3 with his team-leading 14th hit-by-pitch on the afternoon.
• Listi reached safely in every game in the 2024 season to date and is the fourth player to post a 20-game on-base streak in a single season over the last two years joining Adam Pottinger (36 games – 2023), Luis Hernandez (26 games – 2023), Mike Sears (23 games – 2023).
• Indiana State has won the second game in each of their last 11 Missouri Valley weekend series dating back to the end of the 2022 season. ISU went a perfect 9-0 in the Saturday contests in the 2023 season, including 3-0 in games that evened the series.
• Brennyn Cutts' 6.1-inning outing tied a career-high for the Sycamore right-hander, equaling the mark set last season in the MVC Tournament against Evansville on May 27, 2023.
• Spencer tied Simon Gregersen for the team lead with his second save of the season, while his three strikeouts made him the fifth ISU pitcher to eclipse 20-strikeouts on the year.

Up Next
Indiana State closes out the conference weekend on Sunday afternoon as the Sycamores take on Missouri State to Bob Warn Field for the final game of the three-game series. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on ESPN+ and GoSycamores.com. The Sunday game day promotion is 70's Day at Bob Warn Field. All fans with a valid ID with birthday in 1970's can purchase a discounted $5 general admission ticket.
 
­­ Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.