The Missouri State baseball team scored seven runs in the fourth inning and added four more in the sixth for an 11-1 victory over South Dakota State Saturday afternoon at Hammons Field in Springfield.

The Bears improved to 8-7 on the season and SDSU fell to 9-11.

Missouri State broke into the scoring column in a big way in the fourth inning, beginning with a walk by Ben Carlson and a Brayden Drake infield single. After an error put runners on second and third with no outs, Matt Lawson blooped a double into right center to plate the tying run. Drake scored on Ryan Mantle’s grounder to shortstop and Tanner Mattson reached on a fielder’s choice where Lawson beat the throw home to extend the lead to 3-1. Ben Woodbury walked to load bases, Nolan Keane hit an RBI single and Kyle Paul ripped a two-run double to knock starter Matt Bowman (1-2) out of the game. Carlson hit a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring at seven runs, as the Bears sent 11 men to the plate in the inning.

The Bears pushed the lead to 11-1 in the sixth, scoring four times on two walks, a single and two doubles.

Scott Carroll picked up the win, improving to 2-0 with six solid innings. Carroll struck out seven and allowed a single unearned run. Austin Todd threw two scoreless frames in relief and Sean Toler pitched the ninth, continuing the strong MSU pitching that did not allow an earned run in the first two games of the series.

Lawson led the MSU offense with three hits, and Paul smacked two doubles and drove in three runs.

The Jacks scored one in the second, using a single and stolen base from Craig Parry, another single by Tony Martin and an MSU error to plate an unearned run and grab a 1-0 lead.

Missouri State looks for its first series sweep of the year tomorrow at 1 p.m.