SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – On an afternoon when the only warmth to be found at Hammons Field emanated from its red-hot offense and the right arm of starting pitcher Logan Thomazin, Missouri State pounded Central Arkansas 15-3 to register a two-game sweep of the visiting Bears.

Thomazin (1-0) dominated UCA over 7.0 innings of one-hit baseball on an afternoon that saw temperatures plummet into the 20's by the end of the contest, striking out 11 hitters to earn his first mound victory in his home debut as a Bear. The freshman right-hander held the visitors hitless for 5 2/3 innings, fanning eight Bears through the first four frames. His 11 strikeouts represent the most by a Missouri State freshman hurler since Dylan Coleman punched out 11 Central Michigan hitters at Hammons on April 1, 2016.

The MSU rookie pitcher received plenty of support from a lineup that piled up 19 hits, marking the top single-game total by the Bears in exactly three years (Feb. 27, 2016 vs. Alcorn State). Four different Bears recorded multi-hit efforts, and each of MSU's nine position starters logged at least one hit. The Bears' top three hitters in the lineup—John Privitera, Logan Geha and Ben Whetstone—each delivered three-hit performances, combining to go 9-for-15 on the day.

MSU (3-5), which entered the two-game series hitting just .204 as a team in 2019, raised its team average 52 points and more than doubled its season run total in the sweep of UCA. The Bears scored 14 times over their final four turns at-bat Wednesday, turning a 2-1 advantage entering the home half of the sixth inning into a runaway victory.

Thomazin shackled the UCA lineup over the first four innings, striking out the side in the first, before picking up five more K's over the next three innings. He would not allow a hit until Tyler Smith's two-out single in the sixth that followed a pair of MSU errors that opened the door for Beau Orlando's sacrifice fly that drew the Bears to within 2-1.

But, as it did with a six-run sixth inning in Tuesday's series opener, MSU responded in a big way to take control for good. Brooks Zimmerman's leadoff single opened the floodgates, as four consecutive MSU hitters recorded hits, including three-straight RBI singles by Mason Hull, Privitera and Geha. Freshman Anthony Herron, Jr., who went 2-for-4 in Tuesday's win, followed with a two-run single to stretch the Bears' lead to 7-1.

Collin Clayton kick-started another scoring rally in the seventh, tripling to right-center to extend his personal hit streak to seven consecutive games. He would come around on the first of three late UCA errors, pushing the margin to seven runs.

MSU erased any doubts about the outcome with a seven-run eighth, cashing in on a pair of two-out errors. Freshman Javier Ramos dealt the decisive blow in the rally, launching a grand slam onto the left field berm in his first at-bat as a Bear.

UCA scratched out a pair of runs in the ninth, but Nick Schmidt closed out the victory, striking out two Bears to give MSU a 13 K's for the afternoon.

In addition to three-hit games from the top three hitters in its order, MSU received a boost from Duffy, who went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, and both Polak and  Clayton, who scored two runs apiece.

Up next, Missouri State will entertain UC Irvine for Noon doubleheader Friday (March 1) at Hammons Field.