SAN MARCOS, Texas -- Nebraska jumped ahead of the Missouri State baseball team 12-1 after three-and-a-half innings Sunday and cruised to a 16-4 victory in the final game for each team at Texas State’s tournament in San Marcos, Texas.

    The Huskers improved to 3-1 with the win, while Missouri State fell to 1-3.

    Nebraska’s Kale Kiser scored after a leadoff triple in the first and hit a grand slam in the second to give the Huskers a 5-0 lead, and, after MSU outfielder Derek Mattea’s RBI single in the bottom of the second, Nebraska posted seven runs in a bizarre fourth inning to go ahead 12-1.
    
    In that fourth inning, only one of Nebraska’s 10 batters failed to reach base, with two being thrown out on the base paths. NU had two doubles, two triples and two hit batsmen, while two runners scored from third on double steal attempts, though neither was credited with a steal of home. One of those scored on an error and the other when the runner on first stayed in a rundown long enough for a run to score before the third out was recorded.
 
    Mattea got his second RBI in the fourth, this time with a fielder’s choice scoring Luke Voit, and Travis McComack followed with an RBI single up the middle for a 12-3 score.    

    The Huskers tacked on a paired of unearned runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth after loading the bases with nobody out.

    Mattea hit another RBI single in the ninth to account for the final margin.

    Clay Murphy (0-1) took the loss, lasting 3.1 innings in his start. Barrett Noirfalise pitched a career-high 3.2 innings in relief. Freshmen Patrick Drake and Jonathan McCann also saw time on the mound. McCann tossed a scoreless ninth.

    Missouri State returns to Texas next week for three games at the UTA Invitational. The Bears open the tournament with Dallas Baptist on Friday, Feb. 25, at 11 a.m. in Arlington, Texas.