SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State held Central Arkansas to four hits Friday afternoon and broke the game open on Dakota Kotowski's three-run double in the fifth inning on the way to a 6-1 victory in MSU's 2021 home opener at Hammons Field.

Drake Baldwin drove in Jack Duffy with two-out RBI singles in both the first and third innings, the second making it a 2-1 lead after UCA (0-1) evened the score with a third-inning double.

Missouri State loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth with singles by Blake Mozley and Duffy before Ben Whetstone walked, setting the stage for Kotowski's bases-clearing two-bagger for a 5-1 lead.

Whetstone then lined his 20th career home run over the right field fence in the seventh to complete the scoring and help the Bears to their first 3-0 start since 2016.

MSU starter Hayden Minton struck out five and allowed a run on two hits in four innings, getting help from Logan Geha throwing out two runners on the bases in addition to his own pickoff. Matt Russell scattered two hits in four relief innings in the victory, and Ian McMahon tossed a scoreless ninth to finish the game.

Central Arkansas was unable to capitalize on eight walks and four hit batters by MSU pitching, stranding 12 runners in the contest.

The teams meet again Saturday at 2 p.m.