March 10, 2012
Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - SIU Edwardsville got 7 1/3 shutout innings from Travis Felax and withstood a ninth-inning Missouri State rally to snap the Bears' six-game win streak with a 3-1 victory in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Hammons Field. Felax (3-1) allowed just three hits and struck-out six, and the Cougars out-hit MSU, 10-6, to hand the Bears (11-4) their first home loss of the season.
Behind Felax's work on the mound, the Cougars (8-6) took a three-run lead into the ninth after a pair of Missouri State defensive miscues in the eighth led to two critical insurance runs. After reliever Dustin Quattrocchi quickly retired the first two hitters of the ninth, Missouri State mounted a last-ditch comeback attempt. Pinch hitter Koby Peebles drew a four-pitch walk, and Derek Mattea lined a base hit into right to get the ball rolling. Pinch hitter Conor Smith came through with the first hit of his MSU career, lacing a double into the right-field corner to chase home Peebles and put the tying runs in scoring position.
But Quattrocchi responded, getting the final out on a called third strike to Patrick Drake to end the game and earn his third save of the season.
After being shut-out, 3-0, in Friday's series opener, SIU Edwardsville finally broke through against MSU starter Pierce Johnson in the sixth, getting a lead-off double from Devin Caldwell and a one-out single from Joel Greatting to snap the Bears' streak of 19 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
The Cougars got two more runs in the eighth courtesy of errors by Brent Seifert and Luke Voit, and an RBI single off the bat of Matt Highland to extend their lead to 3-0.
Four Cougars recorded two-hit games, and Caldwell scored twice and stole a base to pace the SIUE attack.
Johnson (1-2) suffered the defeat for the Bears despite posting his second-straight double-digit strikeout effort. The junior fanned 11 batters in 7 1/3 innings, giving up just one earned run on 10 hits.
Seifert provided one of the few bright spots for the MSU offense by reaching base for the 20th consecutive game via his lead-off single in the bottom of the sixth.
Up next, the Bears and Cougars conclude their three-game series with game two of Saturday's twin bill at 3:40 p.m.
