Freshman Ben Carlson went 4-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs and a double to lead a Missouri State offense that pounded out seven extra-base hits in an 12-4 victory at Arkansas State Wednesday afternoon in Jonesboro, Ark.
Missouri State improved to 11-8 with its third straight win and sixth in the last seven games. The Indians fell to 9-13.
Carlson’s superlatives on the afternoon included being the first MSU player to hit two homers since March 3 of last season, and the first hitter to accumulate 10 total bases since February 2003.
Like he did in yesterday’s game, leadoff man Ben Woodbury got on base and scored in the first inning. Woodbury singled to left and made his way around the bases with a passed ball and a ground out before scoring on a wild pitch. With two outs and nobody on, Ryan Mantle lined a ball off the first baseman’s glove to reach safely, and Carlson followed with his third home run of the year over the right field wall to give the Bears a 3-0 lead after one at bat.
After retiring the first two batters he faced, Chris Mackey hit Josh Yates with an 0-2 pitch and proceeded to allow a single and a walk to the next two batters before hitting Drew Rogers to force Yates home. Mackey induced a grounder to third to end the inning with a 3-1 lead.
Yates and Ryan Hudgins knocked RBI singles in the ASU second to tie the game at 3-3 and end Mackey’s day after 1.2 innings pitched. Jeff Sargent (1-0) relieved the southpaw and went 3.1 innings, allowing four hits and a run to earn the victory.
The Bears regained the lead with three more runs in the third. ASU made two errors in the frame as MSU pushed runs across thanks to Mantle’s RBI ground out, a Carlson single and a sacrifice fly from Kyle Paul.
Carlson continued his career day in the sixth, belting the first pitch of the inning off the light standard in right for his second homer. Paul followed with a walk and scored on a Brayden Drake double combined with an error by the left fielder. Drake scored on Tanner Mattson’s double to make it 9-4 in favor of the Bears.
Following a Carlson double with one out in the seventh, Paul hit an RBI triple and Drake banged an RBI double to give MSU an 11-4 advantage.
Dallas Hord drove in Josh Mazzola with a grounder in the ninth for his first career RBI.
Missouri State opens Missouri Valley Conference play at home this weekend against Northern Iowa. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
