FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Third-ranked Arkansas scored eight unanswered runs over four-inning stretch to overcome a pair of early Missouri State rallies in an eventual 11-7 victory over the Bears Tuesday evening at Baum Stadium.

The freshman duo of Casey Martin and Heston Kjerstad combined for five hits and eight runs batted-in, while Kole Ramage and Jake Reindl held the Bears scoreless on just one hit over the final 5.2 innings.

Trailing 7-3 after a four-run Bears rally in the third, the Razorbacks (28-10) mounted their comeback with a single tally in the fourth and five more in the fifth to take control for good. Home runs by Kjerstad and Martin highlighted the key rally, as the home club totaled 11 of the game's final 12 hits to send the Bears (22-11) to their fourth-straight defeat.

MSU squandered two separate leads of at least three runs, as Arkansas answered the Bears' three-run first with one of its own to pull even. The Bears wasted little time in gaining the upper hand, striking early with four hits in the top of the first after Hunter Steinmetz's leadoff bunt single started the game. A one-out single by Drew Millas and a walk to Ben Whetstone loaded the bases, before Jack Duffy's soft liner fell in front of Kjerstad in left for a two-run single. Next, Landan Ruff bounced an infield single to the left side of the infield, allowing Whetstone to trot home and extend the lead to 3-0.

But Arkansas responded immediately in the home half, taking advantage of some charity from MSU starting pitcher Austin Knight. The senior right-hander issued three walks and hit two batters in one-third of an inning, with the first of Kjerstad's three-run producing hits put the Razorbacks on the board. A bases-loaded free pass to Dominic Fletcher and another the second hit batsman of the inning forced home two more runs to even the score, before Logan Wiley relieved Knight and extinguished the rally by inducing a double-play grounder.

The Bears, who recorded nine of the game's first 10 hits, went back on the offensive in the third, as the second of Millas's four hits—a ringing double to left—initiated another scoring chance. Matt Brown's double to left-center put the Bears on top once again, before a walk to Duffy and a two-run double by Ruff made it a 6-3 game. After a Sam Faith single and John Privitera reached after being hit by a pitch, Steinmetz coaxed a free pass to force home the seventh MSU run.

Wiley was dominant over his first three-plus innings, retiring the first nine Razorbacks he faced, including the first two hitters of the fourth. But a Jordan McFarland infield chopper extended the inning, and No. 9 hitter Jack Kenley drew ball four on a borderline full-count pitch. Martin doubled to left to bring in a baserunner and cut the MSU lead to 7-4, before Matt Russell relieved Wiley and retired Luke Bonfield on an inning-ending grounder to shortstop to preserve the three-run cushion.

It would not last, however, as Kjerstad launched his ninth home run of the season, and Carson Shaddy doubled off Russell to start the home half of the fifth. Grant Koch's single to left cut the deficit to one run, before Martin unloaded on a Jake Fromson two-out offering for a back-breaking three-run shot to left-center, handing the Razorbacks their first lead of the night at 9-7.

A Bonfield triple to start the sixth led to a 10th UofA run, marking the first time since a March 2011 three-game series at Southern Miss that Missouri State pitching had yielded double-digit run totals in three consecutive outings.

The loss overshadow a 4-for-5 night for Millas, who logged his second four-hit performance in three outings against a ranked foe over the last five days and his third overall this season. Ruff also enjoyed a big night at the plate for MSU, going 2-for-4 and matching a career high with three RBIs.

Ramage (1-1) earned the victory by slowing the MSU offense in the fourth, striking out two of the five hitters he faced without allowing a baserunner. Reindl took care of the rest, closing out the victory and his second save of the season with 4.0 innings, over which he fanned seven Bears.

Missouri State returns home to Hammons Field to open a three-game MVC series with Illinois State this Friday (April 20) at 6:30 p.m.