CARBONDALE, Ill. – Missouri State plated five runs in the sixth inning to secure its ninth series victory in its last 11 trips to Southern Illinois with a 13-4 victory in the opening game of the two clubs' doubleheader Saturday, before the Salukis rebounded behind a strong collective pitching performance for a 4-2 decision over the Bears in the nightcap at Itchy Jones Stadium.

Mason Hull's two-run homer snapped a 3-3 tie and set off a late scoring bonanza that would see the Bears (11-20, 4-2 MVC) plate 10 runs over the final four innings of the opener. MSU registered its third-consecutive double-digit scoring performance and its fourth-straight victory.

SIU (16-12, 1-2 MVC) bounced back to score four early runs in the second game, then rode the joint efforts of three hurlers to its first Missouri Valley Conference victory of the season.

Game 1 – MSU 13, Southern Illinois 4
Missouri State snapped a 3-3 deadlock with a five-run sixth inning, getting a two-run homer from Hull to seize the lead for good. Seven-straight Bears reached base in the rally, as John Privitera and Drew Millas added back-to-back run-scoring hits, before Joey Polak plated a fifth run with his base hit up the middle.

The bottom third of the MSU batting order tormented SIU pitching, with the trio of Hull, Jack Duffy and Collin Clayton combining to go 6-for-11 with six runs scored and four RBIs.

Logan Wiley (1-5) provided a lift as well, allowing three earned runs on seven hits while striking out six Salukis over 5 1/3 innings to earn his first mound victory of the season.

For the second straight game in the series, MSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead, cashing in on a one-out walk to Hull to spark a third-inning rally after SIU starter Dylan Givens (3-3) easily dispatched the first seven Bears batters of the day. Collin Clayton's triple into the right-field corner plated the first MSU run, and Privitera added a run-scoring hit to cap the rally.

SIU responded in the home half of the third, erasing the early MSU lead with one swing of Alex Lyon's bat. After a fielding error opened the inning, Nikola Vasic singled and Ian Walters drew a walk to load the bases. Lyon then drove a two-strike offering to the wall in left to chase home all three baserunners for a 3-2 lead.

Ben Whetstone's leadoff double in the fourth sparked another scoring surge for the Bears. Logan Geha's sac bunt move the runner to third, allowing Whetstone to trot home with the equalizing run on a Givens' wild pitch moments later.

The game would remain tied through the fifth until the first of Duffy's two hits in the game opened the door for the MSU offense. Hull made Givens and the Salukis pay, lifting the first pitch he saw over the wall in left for the go-ahead two-run blast—his third home run in as many games this week.

MSU wasn't quite finished in the sixth, as Clayton drew a walk and Privitera banged another run-scoring hit—this time a double down the left-field line to make it a 6-3 game. Millas joined the hit parade with an RBI single and Polak laced a based hit to bring home the fifth run of the inning.

The eighth inning saw the Bears break the game wide open with another five-run outburst. Once again, the bottom third of the MSU batting order played a pivotal role, with Clayton's leadoff single setting the stage. Millas reached on a one-out walk, before Dakota Kotowski delivered the first of three consecutive RBI singles. Hull completed the scoring with a two-out hit to record his third RBI of the afternoon.

Bears closer Connor Sechler made sure the lead would stand, taking over for Wiley with one out in the sixth and holding the Salukis scoreless over the final 3 2/3 innings to earn his third save of the year.

Game 2 – Southern Illinois 4, MSU 2
Despite a shutdown relief effort from senior left-hander Davis Schwab that kept the Bears within striking distance of the Salukis, the Bears came up short in their comeback bid thanks to a dominant performance by the SIU bullpen.

Justin Yeager struck out three straight MSU hitters after inheriting a bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the sixth. The right-hander would surrender a Missouri State run in the seventh after Duffy doubled to start the inning, then came home on a wild pitch.

But Yeager kept the Bears off the board in the eighth, then handed the ball to MVC saves leader Trey McDaniel, who worked around a leadoff walk and a pair of two-out baserunners to lock down the win and his ninth save of the season.

Vasic and Walters sparked the SIU offense, reaching base in each of their first two plate appearances to help the Salukis score four times in the first two innings. SIU put its first four batters of the game on base against MSU lefty Ben Cruikshank, scoring the first run of the contest on Aiden McMahan's base hit to right. Cruikshank avoided a big inning by inducing a double-play grounder, along with some help from Logan Geha, who gunned down a baserunner at the plate.

The Bears would not be as fortunate in the second, however. After once again loading the bases with nobody out, the Salukis added a run on another double-play, then doubled their lead courtesy of a Vasic double to left and an RBI single from Lyon.

From there, Schwab took control to slow the SIU offense, retiring McMahan for the final out of the second. Schwab allowed an infield single to open the third, before beginning a stretch in which he would retire 14 hitters in a row. The Salukis would not see another hitter reach base until a two-out single by Walters in the seventh, as Schwab struck out a career-best eight batters over his 5 2/3 innings of three-hit relief.

After logging two hits in the opening game, Duffy went 1-for-3 with a run scored in game two to stretch his career-best hit streak to eight games.

Missouri State continues its nine-game road swing with a Tuesday (April 9) non-conference meeting with Kansas. First pitch from Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence is slated for 6 p.m. (CDT).