Missouri State University

The Missouri State baseball team scored five runs in the eighth inning to break open a 4-4 ballgame and improve its record to 2-0 on the young season with a 9-6 victory over Texas-Arlington (1-1) at Clay Gould Ballpark in Arlington.

Senior Ben Woodbury finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs, including a two-run double in the eighth, and Ben Carlson and Nolan Keane each slammed home runs in the decisive eighth frame to help secure the win.

Leadoff man Aaron Conway put the Bears on the board in the first, opening the game with an infield single to second, then stealing second and scoring on a ground out by Keane. Conway finished the game with three hits and two stolen bases.

The Mavericks began the bottom of the second with a single and a double to put men on second and third with no outs, but MSU starter Tim Clubb limited the home team to just one run in the frame on an Andrew Kainer RBI ground out.

UTA then took the lead in the third, scoring first on Danny Slinkman’s RBI single and making the score 3-1 by taking advantage of a throwing error by third baseman Brayden Drake with two outs that allowed a runner to score from third.

The Bears loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth following an error and two walks, but UTA reliever Jeff Nollen responded by getting the next two hitters out before Woodbury snuck a ground ball through the middle for a two-run single to knot the score at 3-3.

Clubb went five innings for the Bears before being replaced by junior Kyle Boschert, and allowed four hits and two earned runs in the no decision. Boschert gave up two hits and a run in three innings to earn the victory on the mound for MSU. Brant Combs pitched the ninth and allowed two runs in his Missouri State debut.

After UTA took the lead with a run in the sixth, MSU got a one-out single from Drake to score Woodbury in the seventh and tie the game again.

Carlson then opened the eighth inning with his third home run of the season to deep right for a 5-4 lead. Dallas Hord was hit by a pitch and Conway singled to set up Woodbury’s two-run double down the right field line. Keane continued the scoring outburst with a two-run homer down the right field line to make the score 9-4.

Top four hitters in the Bears’ lineup, Conway, Woodbury, Keane and Drake, combined for nine hits, eight RBIs and five runs on the afternoon.

Missouri State and Arkansas-Little Rock square off at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Arlington to close the weekend.