EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri State's Dakota Kotowski went 3-for-5 and drove in a career-high four runs to lead the Bears to a 9-5 victory and 3-1 Missouri Valley Conference series win Sunday at Evansville.

The Bears (15-11, 5-3) spotted Evansville a 2-0 lead in the first as the Aces strung together four consecutive one-out hits but responded with a four-run second to take the lead for good on the way to a ninth win in the last 12 games.

Missouri State loaded the bases with two walks and an error in the second to set up a two-run single from Kotowski followed by RBI singles from Walker Jenkins and Cam Cratic for a 4-2 advantage.

The Purple Aces (19-15, 4-7) answered with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half before Kotowski struck again in the fourth, launching his fourth home run of the season over the center field fence to bring home Blake Mozley and make it a 6-3 game.

Drake Baldwin hit a leadoff double and scored on a Grant Wood sacrifice fly for a 7-3 MSU lead in the fifth, the Aces closed to 7-5 after sac flies in the fifth and eighth frames, and Wood struck again in the top of the ninth, blasting a two-out, two-strike double over the center fielder to score Ben Whetstone and Drake Baldwin for a 9-5 advantage.

Both bullpens carried the load after neither starter reached the third inning. Logan Thomazin (1-0) allowed a run on two hits in 2.1 innings of relief for the win, Trey Ziegenbein allowed a run in his three innings, and Hayden Juenger retired all five Aces he faced with a pair of strikeouts for his third save.

Kotowski's three hits matched a career high for the junior, while Baldwin reached safely four times and scored three runs.

The Bears are back in action Tuesday when they look for the season sweep of Missouri in a 6:30 p.m. game at Hammons Field in Springfield.