SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Displaying the same grit that netted them back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference titles the past two seasons, the Missouri State Bears rallied for a 6-5 victory over Indiana State on Drew Millas's 11th-inning, walk-off double Friday at Hammons Field.

After Jack Duffy's leadoff double sparked the MSU offense, Millas pulled a 1-1 offering from ISU left-hander Tyler Grauer (1-2) into the gap in left-center to allow the game-winning run to cross the plate, capping a three-hour and 53-minute see-saw battle that saw the Bears (6-18, 1-0 MVC) battle back from a four-run deficit to snap one streak, while extending another.

MSU won its 25th consecutive regular-season MVC home contest while putting an end to a seven-game skid—its longest in over five years. Millas's game-winner also extended the junior All-American's career-best hit streak to eight games, while five different Bears registered two-hit performances to help MSU overcome a pair of deficits, including a 4-0 ISU advantage.

Connor Sechler (2-2) picked up the mound victory with 3 2/3 clutch innings of relief, striking out five Sycamores and working out of tight spots in both the ninth and 11th frames to give the Bears the opportunity to complete their 82nd come-from-behind victory since the start of the 2015 season.

The ultimate outcome looked anything but certain at several different junctions in the contest, as ISU used a four-run third inning to build a sizable margin. A one-out CJ Huntley triple off MSU starter Jake Lochner set the wheels in motion for the Sycamore offense, before run-scoring hits from Jake Means and Romero Harris made it a 2-0 game. Jarrod Watkinis delivered the key blow, lacing a two-out, two-run single through the left side of the MSU infield to stretch the ISU cusion to 4-0.

The Bears responded immediately in the home half of the third, touching up Sycamore lefty Triston Polley for three runs of their own. An error on John Privitera's chopper to short started the rally, before a hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases for Ben Whetstone, who delivered a two-run single to right-center to cut the lead in half. A two-out passed ball allowed Millas to trot home from third and pull the Bears to within a run.

Privitera set up the game-tying rally with a leadoff single in the fifth, advancing to second on Logan Geha's sac bunt and scoring on Joey Polak's bloop single just inside the right-field foul line.

Watkins leadoff single in the sixth set up another Sycamore rally, however. Lochner beaned Luke Fegen, and an MSU error on Max Wright's sacrifice attempt allowed the fifth ISU run to score. But Bears freshman Hayden Juenger avoided further damage by inducing a pair of infield pop ups, before retiring Roby Enriquez on an inning-ending fly ball to left to keep it a one-run game.

Once again, the Bears had an answer for the Sycamores, who entered the contest having won four straight contests and 13 of their last 14 March games. MSU, which came into league play with just a 2-13 March record, got the equalizing blow from another rookie, as Dakota Kotowski launched his third home run as a Bear with one out in the sixth to make it a 5-5 game.

From there, both bullpens delivered clutch performances, including 3 1/3 shutout innings from Grauer before the Bears came through with the deciding tally. The junior struck out a pair of Bears in both the eighth and ninth innings, then worked around a leadoff single by Whetstone in the 10th by retiring three straight hitters.

Sechler proved to be his equal, stranding a Sycamore in scoring position in the eighth after taking over for Juenger with one out. He froze Huntley with a called third strike for the second out, then dispatched Clay Dungan on a fly ball to center to end that threat. The sophomore also worked around a leadoff single, steal of second and a Bears throwing error to start the ninth, keeping the score even with another strikeout and a pair of pop flies to strand the potential go-ahead baserunner at third.

ISU (20-3, 0-1 MVC) threatened again in the 11th as well, using back-to-back, one-out singles by Dungan and Means to put pressure on Sechler once more. But the MSU closer responded, striking out Enriquez for his fifth punchout and setting down Harris on a fly to right to extinguish the rally.

Whetsone led the Bears with a 2-for-4 effort and two RBIs, while Polak, Kotowski, Duffy and Privitera added multi-hit games as well to power a 12-hit outburst—MSU's best offensive showing since a 19-hit onslaught against Central Arkansas on Feb. 27.

Lochner allowed all five ISU runs (four earned), while scattering six hits in his 5.0 innings, and Juenger followed with 2.1 innings of shutout relief.

Means paced the ISU attack with a 3-for-5 game, and Dungan reached safely in five of his six trips to the plate with a 2-for-3, three-walk effort.

Missouri State and Indiana State will continue their series Saturday (March 30) with a 2 p.m. (CDT) game.