SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri State rode a trio of three-run rallies and strong performances from all three of its seniors to a second-consecutive win over Valparaiso with an 11-4 victory Friday evening at Hammons Field. Brooks Zimmerman matched a career high with three hits, as Davis Schwab tossed 5.0 shutdown innings to start the night and fellow senior lefty Jake Lochner pitched the Bears out of a tight spot in the seventh to help lock down the win.

Schwab (3-4) struck out a career-high nine batters while limiting the Crusaders to one run on three hits in his 5.0 innings to help secure the series win for the Bears, who also enjoyed a big night from their offense. Zimmerman's two-run homer highlighted MSU's three-run first and set the stage for the senior's 3-for-3 night, and Lochner came up with back-to-back outs to squash a potential big inning after four straight Crusaders reached base as part of a two-run Valpo seventh.

The Bears (18-34, 9-11 MVC) homered three times in the contest, including solo shots from Drew Millas and Jack Duffy in the late innings to help put the game on ice. Anthony Herron Jr. also delivered a key performance, driving in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the third, before drawing a walk with the bases full in the seventh.

Jack Duffy drew the first of eight free passes handed out by Valpo pitchers to lead off the first, before John Privitera's base hit to right and a Millas grounder to the right side brought him home with the game's first run. With two out, Dakota Kotowski coaxed the first of his three bases-on-balls in the game to keep the rally alive, and Zimmerman followed with his third round-tripper of the season—and his second in the last four games—to hand his club a 3-0 advantage.

Schwab quickly dispatched the first six Crusaders of the game, including three via strikeouts. But a Damon Jorgensen double started the third, and the Valpo third baseman came around moments later on the first of Jeremy Drudge's two RBI singles on the night to cut the Bears lead to two runs.

MSU's offense answered promptly in the home half of the inning, using three-consecutive two-out walks from Valpo starting pitcher Zach Fricke (3-4) to set up another threat. Herron cashed in with a line-drive to right, bringing in Kotowski and Zimmerman, before the ball scooted by Drudge to allow a third run to score on an error.

Mason Hull, who turned in a 2-for-3 night, started another MSU rally with a leadoff double in the fourth, as Duffy's ground ball to second plated the seventh MSU tally.

Schwab worked around a fourth-inning threat with a pair of strikeouts, then fanned two more in the fifth to end his 78-pitch effort.

After a two-run Valpo rally in the top of the seventh, the Bears cracked the game wide open in the bottom half on Millas' fourth homer of the year and three more walks, stretching their cushion to 10-3. The two clubs traded eighth-inning runs, as Steven Fitzsimmons doubled home Chase Dawson for Valpo, and Duffy went deep to right-center for the Bears to lead off the home half.

Connor Sechler closed out the victory in a non-save situation, recording three of his four outs on strikeouts.

Drudge led the Crusaders (14-34, 6-14 MVC) with a 2-for-4 night with two RBIs, while Fitzsimmons added two hits as well.

With inclement weather in the forecast for Saturday, the series finale for the Bears and Crusaders has been moved to a Noon (CDT) first pitch, with an on-field Senior Day ceremony set to begin at approximately 11:50 a.m.