Missouri State

KENNESAW, Ga. – Missouri State got solid pitching from a trio of hurlers and did all its scoring in the first four innings Thursday at Mickey Dunn Stadium to earn at 5-3 victory in the series opener at Kennesaw State.
 
Jason Schaaf (4-2) pitched five innings for the win, reaching that mark for the seventh consecutive start, Ross Felder fanned three in an inning and Tyler Charlton struck out three in three scoreless frames for his fifth save.
 
The Bears (31-17, 19-9 Conference USA) put their first three runners on to open the game and scored on a Curry Sutherland RBI double and RBI ground out from Taeg Gollert.
 
The Owls (24-25, 12-16) got one back in the second before a two-out rally of Jax Ryan's single followed by Carter Bergman's team-leading 15^th home run of the season put the Bears up 4-1 in the third.
 
Kennesaw State hit a solo homer in the fourth, its only extra-base hit of the game, to make it 4-2, and Mo State answered in its next at bat when Gabe Roessler hit a leadoff single and scored on Sutherland's sacrifice fly.
 
The home team opened the seventh with consecutive singles but only came away with one run thanks to a double play, and Charlton carried that momentum through the remainder of the game on the mound.
 
The Bears moved into a tie for second in the CUSA standings thanks to Liberty's loss at Middle Tennessee, with game two of their series with the Owls set for 5 p.m. Central on Friday.