HOUSTON – Missouri State used a pair of big innings to build a seven-run lead as part of its best offensive showing of the 2020 season in a 9-3 victory over Rice Saturday afternoon at Reckling Park.
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Drake Baldwin tripled home two runs in a three-run third inning, then plated two more baserunners as part of the Bear' four-run outburst in the seventh that stretched their advantage to 7-0. In addition to Baldwin's career-high four RBIs, the Bears received a boost from Ben Whetstone, who finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs after delivering run-producing hits in back-to-back innings to help put the game away.
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On the mound, freshman starter Hayden Minton and sophomore reliever Forrest Barnes combined to keep the Owls (1-8) off the scoreboard for the first six innings. Minton scattered four hits and four walks over his 4.1 innings, before Barnes blanked Rice for an inning and a third to give the MSU offense time to build a comfortable margin.
The Bears struck first for the second-straight game against the Owls, this time using one-out walks to Jack Duffy and Whetstone, as well as a hit batsman to load the bases in the third against Rice starter Blake Brogdon (0-3). Dakota Kotowski beat out a fielder's choice chopper to short to bring in Duffy with the game's first run, and Baldwin followed with a deep drive to center that barely eluded Rice center fielder Aaron Beaulaurier for a two-run triple.
After watching a four-run lead in Friday's series opener evaporate in less than an inning, the Bears made the early lead stand in game two behind Minton's ability to work into and out of several jams. In the second, the right-hander stranded the bases full of Owls by inducing a pop foul and an inning-ending ground ball to third. He escaped the third unharmed as well, despite issuing a leadoff walk and a one-out single. After hitting two Rice hitters in the fourth, he coaxed a rally-killing 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Cade Edwards.
Barnes inherited a two-on, one-out situation in the fifth, but kept Rice scoreless when Trei Cruz was ruled to have left third base early on an apparent Bradley Gneiting sac fly to left that would have plated the Owls' first tally. Barnes retired five straight hitters to start his afternoon, surrendering a run in the seventh on an Austin Bulman base hit.
By that time the Bears had seized full command, capitalizing on a Rice error to bring home four unearned runs in the top half of the seventh. With two on and nobody out, Duffy bunted for a hit to load the bases, and Whetstone came through with a run-scoring base hit to right for a 4-0 MSU edge. Baldwin promptly made it a six-run contest when he drove a 2-1 pitch from Brandon Deskins into center to bring in Logan Geha and Duffy, and a two-out wild pitch allowed Whetstone to score the seventh MSU run of the game.
Whetstone added another key hit in the eighth with a two-run single to right after John Privitera started another Bears rally by drawing a one-out walk. Geha reached after being hit by a pitch, and Duffy singled through the right side to load the bases once again.
Rice cut the margin to six runs in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out, pinch-hit bloop single to center from Tyler LaRue that brought in two runs.
Barnes (2-0) earned his second win of the week after striking out three batters in 3.2 innings of relief. Trey Ziegenbein finished off the victory with a scoreless ninth, allowing just a two-out single.
In addition to Whetstone's three-hit game, both Baldwin and Duffy finished 2-for-4 to lead MSU's offense.
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The Bears and Owls conclude their three-game series with a 1 p.m. game Sunday.
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