The Missouri State baseball team trailed by a run on three different occasions and rallied to score two runs in the ninth inning to complete a 7-6 comeback victory over Southeast Missouri State Wednesday afternoon at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Trailing 6-5 entering the ninth, Ben Woodbury reached on an error to lead off but was doubled off first base after SEMO ace James Leigh (4-1), who was brought in to close the game, caught Nolan Keane’s sacrifice bunt attempt. Brayden Drake was then hit by a pitch with two strikes, Ben Carlson drew a full-count walk, and both advanced a base on a wild pitch. Dallas Hord then hit a sharp grounder off the glove of shortstop Nick Harris that allowed both runners to score for a 7-6 MSU lead.
Buddy Baumann, MSU’s sixth pitcher of the game, retired the side in the ninth with two strikeouts for his first career save.
MSU (15-6) took a 1-0 lead in its first at bat when Carlson pulled a two-out single through the right side to score Keane from second, but the Redhawks (9-8) regained the advantage by loading the bases with no outs and pushing two runs across in the bottom of the inning.
The Bears tied it in the second after Christian Overstreet drew a leadoff walk, stole two bases and scored on Chris Playter’s two-out single, but SEMO again answered, turning a leadoff double into a run in the bottom half of the frame.
The back-and-forth play continued in the third, when Carlson drove in Keane for a second time to tie it at 3-3.
The score remained tied until the Bears took a 5-3 lead with two outs in the seventh when Drake singled home Playter and Carlson collected his third RBI single of the game to score Drake, who had advanced to second on a passed ball.
SEMO again responded to an MSU score, loading the bases with a double, a walk and a hit batter in the bottom of the seventh to set up Matt Wagner’s bases-clearing two-out double that made it 6-5 in favor of the home team.
Sophomore Pat Doyle relieved starter Kyle Boschert after a leadoff double in the second and hurled four innings of one-hit ball before giving way to Aaron Meade in the sixth. The Bears used three more relievers, with Brant Combs (1-0) getting two outs in the eighth for the win.
The Bears return to Missouri Valley Conference play Friday at noon against Southern Illinois at Hammons Field.
