The Missouri State baseball team erupted for five runs in the 10th inning to earn a 9-5 non-conference victory over Arkansas-Little Rock Tuesday evening at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.
After struggling offensive for the first nine innings, the Missouri State (23-11) offense came alive in the 10th. Ben Woodbury led off the inning with a double to the warning track in left-center and got to third on a wild pitch. Nolan Keane then struck out but reached first when the catcher dropped the ball.
Brayden Drake followed with a double to right that scored Woodbury and gave the Bears a one-run lead and two men in scoring position with no outs. Ben Carlson drove both runners home with the Bears’ third double in the frame, andscored when UALR’s pitcher made a wild throw on Matt Welch’s sac bunt attempt, allowing Welch to end up on third. Dallas Hord singled home Welch as the Bears sent 10 batters to the plate and posted five runs.
The Trojans scored a run in the bottom of the 10th for the final score.
UALR (8-25) starter Mike Rogers retired the first two Bears with ease in the first, but Keane jump-started the offense with an infield single and Drake drove him in with a double off the wall in left for a quick 1-0 MSU lead.
The Bears added a run in the third after Chris Playter drew a leadoff walk and hustled to third on a wild pitch before Woodbury drove him in with a sacrifice fly.
MSU Freshman Cody Aycock retired the first six batters he faced on 15 pitches before issuing a leadoff walk in the third. A sac bunt and a single followed the walk, and Eric Hanlon drove a sac fly to deep left that drove in UALR’s first run. Aycock left the game with a no-decision after allowing three hits and three runs in 4.2 innings.
Christian Overstreet drew a one-out walk and stole his way to third to set up Kyle Paul’s RBI single in the fourth that made the score 3-1, but Trojans took advantage of two errors on one play in the bottom of the frame to turn a ground ball to second base into two runs and tie the game at 3-3.
Missouri State loaded the bases with one out in the sixth when Carlson singled, Welch walked and Paul was hit by a pitch. UALR’s fifth pitcher of the game, Joe Campbell, got Ryan Mantle to hit a ground ball to third, but the Trojans could only get the force out at second, as Mantle motored down the line in time to beat the relay throw, allowing Carlson to score for the 4-3 lead.
Brad Swiderski’s RBI double tied the game again in the bottom of the sixth, but relievers Sean Toler for MSU and Steve Gilgenbach for UALR kept the game scoreless through the end of regulation.
Toler (1-1) pitched 4.1 innings of relief and retired 10 Trojans in a row at one point. He gave up three hits and a run to earn the first victory of his career.
The Bears travel to Kansas Wednesday for a 6 p.m. contest.
