Missouri State

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State scored nine runs in the sixth inning Friday at Route 66 Stadium to earn a 14-8 victory over visiting New Mexico State in the Conference USA series opener.
 
Carter Bergman led off the big sixth inning with his 14^th homer of the season and later added an RBI double, Taeg Gollert set the program record with his fourth career grand slam, and Max Knight bombed a 434-foot three-run homer to cap the scoring for a 13-7 Mo State lead.
 
The teams traded single runs early, with a Logan Fyffe sacrifice fly and Jax Ryan solo homer (3^rd) making it a 2-2 game through four innings.
 
The Bears (28-17, 16-9 CUSA) scored on an error and Gabe Roessler sac fly in the fifth for a 4-2 lead, but the Aggies (19-29, 8-17) responded in the sixth with a two-run homer followed by a pair of walks that set the stage for a two-run double and RBI single to make it 7-4 in favor of NMSU.
 
Bergman wasted no time getting the momentum back by leading off the bottom half of the sixth with a home run to spark the nine-run frame, the Bears' second-highest scoring inning of the year.
 
Gollert added an RBI double in the seventh, and Caden Bogenpohl followed with his 154^th career walk to tie Bill Mueller's program record. NMSU hit a solo homer in the eighth for the final score.
 
Jason Schaaf gave the Bears 5.1 innings in the start, making it six straight outings with at least five innings, and Ross Felder (3-2) got the win with 2.2 innings of relief with four strikeouts.
 
Eight of nine starters scored a run for the Bears and five recorded a multi-hit game to help Mo State improve to 19-3 at home this season.
 
The series continues at Route 66 Stadium at 10:45 a.m. Saturday.