Big Eighth Inning Propels Baseball Bears Past Redbirds

Friday, May 2

Normal, Ill.

5:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

24-19, 14-5

Illinois State

21-22, 10-9

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Missouri State	2	1	0	0	2	3	0	6	0	14	15	0
Illinois State	2	0	0	3	4	0	0	0	1	10	13	2

Big Eighth Inning Propels Baseball Bears Past Redbirds

May 02, 2025 | Baseball

Box Score

By: MSU Athletics Communications

NORMAL, Ill. – Missouri State scored six runs in the eighth inning Friday evening at Illinois State to take the lead for good in a 14-10 series-opening victory at Duffy Bass Field.

Nick Rodriguez homered twice and tied Brayden Drake's school record 30-game hitting streak, Taeg Gollert doubled twice, and Dylan Robertson hit a three-run double in the decisive inning as part of MSU's eight extra-base hits.

Rodriguez and Jake McCutcheon hit back-to-back homers in the first inning and Rodriguez led off the eighth with another round-tripper, tying him for fifth in MSU history with his fifth career multi-homer games.

The Bears (24-19, 14-5 Missouri Valley Conference) trailed 9-5 after five innings before scoring nine unanswered runs, beginning with a three-run sixth that included a Caden Bogenpohl RBI double, Rodriguez RBI single and Gollert RBI double for a 9-8 deficit.

MoState knocked four extra-base hits and walked three times in the six-run eighth, with Rodriguez swatting a leadoff homer, Gollert adding an RBI double, Tyler Epstein walking to force home a run and Robertson's bases-clearing double for a 14-9 lead.

Gollert's two doubles gave him 54 in his MSU career, tying for the No. 5 spot on the school's career list.

Max Knight recorded three hits and two walks in addition to 1.1 innings on the mound, and Dalen Stewart (1-0) threw a scoreless two-thirds of an inning for the winning decision.

Illinois State fell to 21-22 overall and 10-9 in MVC play.

The series continues at 3 p.m. Saturday.

#GoBears