Season Statistics

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State hit five home runs and extended its winning streak to three games Wednesday afternoon with a 16-1 victory over Kansas at Hammons Field.

The Bears (8-7) scored in each of the first four innings and six times total with their third five-homer game of the season, tallying 16 unanswered runs after KU (7-8) put up a run in its first at bat.

Drake Baldwin drove in Spencer Nivens with an RBI double in the first, Jaden Rolffs hit a three-run homer in the second, and Dakota Kotowski swatted his league-leading eighth round-tripper of the season in the third for a 5-1 lead.

Missouri State piled it on with a six-run fourth, with Nivens (RBI single), Baldwin (two-run double) and Mason Greer (three-run homer) providing the fireworks.

Hull tied Kotowski with his eighth long ball of the year in the fifth to make it 14-1 and give the senior 26 RBI on the season, and Anthony Socci's two-run bomb in the seventh gave him his first MSU hit and made it 16-1 Bears.

Freshman Ty Blecha (1-0) pitched three innings in the start and allowed a run with three strikeouts, and the Bears used five total pitchers, with Dan Merrill, Caden Wilson, Eric Loomis and Jared Viertel combining for six scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Viertel struck out five, and the Bears fanned 12 as aa staff.

Baldwin, Greer, Hull and Rolffs each drove in three runs, Hull and Kotowski scored three times apiece, and Hull and Nivens recorded three-hit days. Grant Wood walked to extend his reached base streak to 15 games.

The Bears host Southeast Missouri State in a three-game series this weekend. First pitch Friday is set for 3 p.m., and tickets are $3 for all 3 p.m. weekday games this season.