The Missouri State baseball team fought back from a 2-0 deficit to score seven runs in the final four innings, ending eighth-ranked Wichita State’s 19-game overall win streak and 18-game home win streak with a 7-4 Missouri Valley Conference win in 10 innings Friday night at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan.
Nolan Keane led off the decisive 10th with a double and was sacrificed to third before Dallas Hord drew a four-pitch walk to give the Bears runners on the corners with one out. Ben Carlson came through with a bouncing ball past the second baseman to drive in Keane, Ryan Mantle poked a single to right that plated Hord, and Josh Mazzola knocked a sac fly to drive in Carlson for a 7-4 lead.
Now working with a three-run lead after letting a two-run advantage slip away in the ninth, closer Matt Frevert retired the side in order and improved his record to 4-1.
The game was tied 2-2 heading into a wild ninth inning. MSU’s Carlson slugged his league-leading eighth home run of the year, belting an 0-2 pitch off the Valley’s ERA leader Tyler Fleming just inside the right field foul pole to give MSU its first lead of the game. Ryan Mantle followed that with his second double of the game and stole third, and Ben Woodbury drove him in with a two-out single to give the Bears a 4-2 lead.
WSU answered with two in the bottom of the ninth. After a one-out single in the ninth, Brant Combs relieved Tim Clubb and allowed a first-pitch single to pinch-hitter Ryan Engrav to put runners on the corners. Combs walked the next batter to load the bases, bringing Frevert out of the bullpen for the Bears. Frevert got Andy Dirks, who had yet to be retired in four plate appearances, to strike out swinging, but Ryan Jones pulled a two-run single through the right side to tie it at 4-4 and send the game to extras. The Shockers loaded the bases with two outs but Frevert struck out Dusty Coleman on a full count pitch.
The Shockers had captured a 2-0 advantage through six innings, getting an RBI ground out by Tyler Weber in the third and Jones’ first RBI single in the fifth.
The Bears got on the scoreboard in the seventh with a Brayden Drake leadoff home run to left-center, and manufactured the tying run in the eighth. Matt Welch led off the inning with his second pinch hit in as many games, doubling off the left field wall and missing the tying home run by inches. Woodbury sacrificed Welch to third, and Chris Playter drove him in with a sac fly to tie the game at 2-2. Keane hit a two-out single to knock Rob Musgrave out of the game after 7.2 innings and five strikeouts, but reliever Tyler Fleming struck out Drake to end the eighth.
Lost in the late-inning dramatics was a solid performance by Missouri State starter Tim Clubb, who battled for 8.1 strong innings, holding the Shockers to three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts in the no-decision.
His counterpart, southpaw Rob Musgrave, went 7.2 innings with two earned runs and five strikeouts.
The Bears’ 15 hits were a season-high allowed by the Shockers, with Mantle and Carlson notching three apiece.
Missouri State improved to 18-8 overall and 5-2 in the Valley, while WSU fell to 22-4 and 3-1.
Game two of the series is Saturday at 2 p.m.