April 28, 2015 Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Missouri State scored 10 times in the first four innings, then put the finishing touches on a memorable night with three late runs in a 13-8 victory Tuesday in front of its largest crowd at Hammons Field in 11 years. The Bears (31-10) built a 9-0 lead before a jubilant gathering of 6,497 that saw MSU gash Missouri--ranked as high as No. 21 in this week's polls--for nine extra-base hits and sweep their two-game season series from the Tigers for the first time since 2011.
After being forced to rally in their final at-bat to record each of their last three victories--including a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over the Tigers (26-19) last Tuesday in Columbia--the Bears took the alternate approach Tuesday, striking for nine runs before the visitors recorded their first hit of the game. Missouri State's balanced offensive attack totaled 16 hits--just one shy of its season high--and featured five different players who collected two or more hits.
All but one MSU starter recorded a hit, with Eric Cheray sparking the early onslaught with a pair of run-scoring singles in his first home start of the season following his return from a broken ankle. The senior finished the night 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored to go along with his two RBIs, while Jake Burger (3-for-5) and Tate Matheny (3-for-3, three runs) also logged three-hit efforts for the Bears.
Bears leadoff man Dylan Becker set the tone for the evening, driving a 3-1 Andrew Schwaab pitch into center for the game's first hit that sparked a four-run, first-inning MSU rally. After a Joey Hawkins sacrifice moved the runner into scoring position, a hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases for Eric Cheray, who promptly lined a single to right to bring in Becker with the game's first run. Next, Burger blasted a double into the right-center field gap that easily scored the first two baserunners, but was caught attempting to return to second when Jake Ring's throw beat the MSU freshman back to the bag. An alert Cheray took the opportunity to streak home with the fourth run as second baseman Brett Peel applied the tag to Burger.
It would be more of the same for MSU in the second and third innings, as solo shots by Matt Fultz and Blake Graham sparked two more Bears rallies that ultimately stretched the margin to eight runs. With one out in the second, Fultz drove the first pitch he saw from Schwaab over the right-field wall for his second homer against the Tigers in as many games this season. Becker followed with a hot shot back to the mound that caromed off the Tiger right-hander for a hit, then moved to second when Schwaab's throw to first was wide of the bag. Hawkins followed with a run-scoring double to make it a 6-0 game, before Cheray delivered his second RBI single of the night to complete the rally.
Graham then led off the third with a line-drive that cleared the fence in right, initiating a memorable stretch for the sophomore that would culminate with a head-first diving catch on the warning track in right-center in the top of the fourth inning. Spencer Johnson kept the momentum going with a triple off the wall in left-center before coming home on Becker's sacrifice fly to right.
With MSU starter Andy Cheray in full control over the game's first three frames, the tide turned ever so slightly in the top of the fourth following a 14-minute delay due to a temporary power failure. Peel drew a leadoff walk to give MU its first baserunner since the first inning, but Graham hauled in his highlight-reel catch to momentarily stall the Tigers' push. Moments later, the lights went dark at Hammons Field, prompting both teams to clear the field.
Given the chance to reset, the visitors responded in a big way following the delay, jumping on Cheray for five consecutive hits that led to a five-run outburst. Josh Lester's three-run homer was the key blow, before Brock Bond sliced the lead to 9-5 with a two-run single to right.
MSU turned to its bullpen in the form of Perez, who promptly ended the threat by inducing a 5-4-3 double play with a pair of runners on base. The Bears junior right-hander kept the Tigers at bay through the middle innings, allowing just two more batters to reach safely through the seventh inning.
Matheny answered the Tigers' rally promptly in the home half of the fourth, launching his fourth home run of the season to push the MSU lead back to five runs. MSU would tack on two more tallies in the seventh after Cheray lashed his third single of the night and Burger delivered his second two-bagger of the contest to start the inning. Johnson drove both runners home with his second extra-base hit, this one a double to left that made it a 12-6 ballgame.
Mizzou used its second three-run circuit blast of the game to pull back to within four in the top of the eighth. After Lester walked and Trey Harris singled to start the inning, Zach Lavy got into a Perez offering and belted his fourth homer of the year and the fifth long ball of the game to right field.
The Bears utilized a leadoff triple by Matheny on a liner into right-center to score the final run of the evening in the bottom of the eighth. Justin Paulsen, who also drew a pair of walks, brought the runner home with a sacrifice fly to right.
Perez (5-1) earned the win in relief after completing 4.0 innings, allowing just one walk and a seventh-inning single in his first three frames before the Tigers' rally in the eighth. Bryan Young closed out the victory with a hitless ninth to the delight of the Bears' largest Hammons Field crowd since an April 14, 2004 game (also against Missouri) drew 8,312 spectators.
Harris and Lavy led the Tigers with two hits apiece, while Lester scored twice in addition to his three-run homer--his fifth of the season.
Schwaab (2-1) suffered his first setback of the season after allowing the first seven MSU runs on six hits and a pair of walks over the first inning and a third. Lake Dabney provided the lone unblemished outing among the six MU hurlers who worked, tossing 2.0 innings and allowing just one hit while fanning a pair of Bears.
The Bears, who rank as high as No. 14 in Baseball America's College Top 25 this week, welcome Wichita State to Springfield for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series, beginning with a 6:35 p.m. contest Friday (May 1).
