SPRINGFIELD – Zack Stewart hit a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday to give Missouri State a 5-4 victory over Valparaiso in their Missouri Valley Conference series opener at Hammons Field.
 
Stewart's 39^th career long ball, good for 10^th on MSU's career list, was his first walk-off, and the first such homer for the Bears (17-15, 8-2 MVC) since Taeg Gollert did it against Valpo in April 2023.
 
MoState took a 2-0 lead in the third when Caden Bogenpohl walked to reach safely for the 45^th consecutive game and Nick Rodriguez followed with a two-run homer, his 10^th of the season. The round-tripper extended the senior's home run streak to five games and hitting streak to 19, tying for the 10^th-longest in school history.
 
Valpo (8-20, 3-7) followed two hit batters with a three-run homer in the fifth for a 3-2 lead, and Tyler Epstein got things back in the Bears' favor at 4-3 with a two-run double in the seventh.
 
Michael Yusypchuk went five innings for the Bears in the start, giving up three runs on three hits, and Owen Slater fired two scoreless frames before giving way to Jackson Holmes (4-3) to close it out.
 
Holmes got one strike away before Valpo tied with a solo homer in the ninth, setting the stage for Stewart's game-winner.
 
The Bears played error-free defensively with the middle infield duo of Epstein and Rodriguez turning a season-high three double plays.
 
Game two of the series is set for 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets to home baseball games can be purchased here, and MSU students are admitted free with a valid Bearpass ID.