SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Missouri State sophomore lefty
Mike Kickham threw a complete game on 105 pitches and the Bears had the winning run on base in the final inning Sunday but were unable to come back from a 3-1 ninth-inning deficit against Evansville in a 3-2 Missouri Valley Conference loss at Hammons Field.
Trailing 3-1 and down to the final out,
Aaron Conway sparked the Bears’ rally with a two-out double and
Kevin Medrano followed with a single up the middle that put runners on the corners after UE’s second baseman made a diving stop to keep Conway from scoring.
Luke Voit followed with an infield single to the right side, scoring Conway to pull the Bears within one. Medrano moved to third when Evansville’s first baseman fired wide to the pitcher covering first in what would have been a spectacular game-ending defensive play.
Tyler Ryun hit a sharp liner on the next pitch, but right at right fielder Nate Smith, who hauled it in to nail down the UE win.
It was a struggle for the Bears to drive in runs, as the team stranded 12 in all, including hitting into a double play with the bases loaded in the fourth and leaving the bases loaded again in the eighth.
Kickham (3-3) worked efficiently through the UE lineup all game, facing just 32 batters and scattering seven hits and one walk with two strikeouts in MSU’s first nine-inning complete game in nearly a year.
Each team scored a run in the first, with Evansville using a single and a double to set up Trentt Copeland’s run-scoring ground ball to shortstop, and the Bears getting a leadoff walk from
Travis McComack, a balk and a two-out single from
Luke Voit.
The second inning began with UE’s Andy Pascoe doubling over the bag at third and moving to third on a wild pitch before scoring on Heithoff’s single that gave the Purple Aces the lead back at 2-1. Copeland hit a leadoff single in the seventh and scored on Heithoff’s second RBI hit of the afternoon to put the Aces ahead 3-1.
Evansville’s Seth McCabe (3-0) went seven innings for the win.
Missouri State fell to 8-15 overall and 1-2 in MVC play. Evansville in 12-13 and 2-1 in the league.
The Bears return to action Wednesday with a 6 p.m. contest at Kansas (14-9, 1-1 Big 12).
