Life in the Valley

Missouri State took down 7th-ranked Arkansas Wednesday night, 8-4, doubling up on the visiting Razorbacks (30-11) in both runs and hits (10-5). Nearly 3,000 were in attendance for the upset, as Missouri State’s season-long run of playing tough non-conference competition paid off in a big way. The Bears have won 4 in a row and 7 of 8, surging ahead of Southern Illinois over the weekend and into 2nd place in The Valley. Given their talent level, it’s the Missouri State club that many observers thought we’d be seeing most of the season. But a non-conference slate that has included Cal Poly, Oral Roberts, Oklahoma State, East Carolina, Kansas, and Missouri has dulled their record somewhat.

Still, MSU’s 23rd win of the season may go down as its best. The Bears jumped all over the Hogs in the 3rd inning, scoring 6 times to take a 7-2 lead and Missouri State cruised from there. Zack Stewart got the barrage going with an RBI single to tie the game at 2. Taeg Gollert’s double brought home 2 more and gave the Bears (23-16, 11-4 MVC) the lead for good. Cam Cratic’s single scored Gollert to make it 5-2, then Anthony Socci went yard to cap off the inning and leave the Razorbacks in a 5-run hole. Gollert, Cratic, and Nick Rodriguez all had 2 hits each for Missouri State. Rodriguez hit a solo homer in the 1st to lead off the game for the Bears.

Meanwhile, 4 Missouri State pitchers held Arkansas to just 5 hits total – only 2 for extra bases – and no homers. Tyler Tscherter started and went 3 innings, throwing 50 pitches and allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Trey Ziegenbein pitched up the win, throwing 3 perfect innings and striking out 3 on just 39 pitches, while winning Twitter in the process.

Scott Youngbrandt and Reed Metz worked the final 3 innings. Missouri State pitchers struck out 9 and walked just 2. Ziegenbein and Youngbrandt have combined to make 41 appearances and throw 67 1/3 innings this season. They’ve fanned a total of 69 batters and walked just 20.

Missouri State returns to conference action this weekend by welcoming Valparaiso to Springfield for 3 games, starting Friday night. All 3 games will be available on ESPN3 or ESPN+.

Here are some quick hitters for the action elsewhere in The Valley last night:

Bradley 7, Illinois 6: The Braves took down a state rival from the Big 10 Tuesday, outlasting the Fighting Illini in what was a close game throughout, 8-7. Bradley (13-23) fought back from deficits of 2-0, 5-3, and 6-4, taking the lead in the 8th inning when Ryan Vogel tripled in a run to tie it, then scored on a Cal McGinnis double. Vogel also doubled as part of a 3-hit game that saw him score 3 times. Easton Harris worked a scoreless 7th and 8th innings to get the win, while Connor Langrell picked up his 9th save.

UIC 8, Northern Illinois 1: UIC scored 5 in the 4th to break open a scoreless game and never looked back against the struggling Huskies (7-31). Charlie Szykowny (.349-12-39) doubled and homered as part of a 5-for-5 night, including 2 runs and 3 RBIs. He now sports a 1.096 OPS. Seven UIC pitchers combined to hold NIU to 1 run on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts. Kendall Lyons, a freshman from Gurnee, Ill., earned the win.

Murray State 8, North Alabama 7: Carson Garner hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th inning to lift the Racers (22-20) past UNA (9-30). Dustin Mercer went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs, while Logan Bland and Parker Estes had 2 hits each. Murray used 7 pitchers, including reliever Ben Krizen, who started and went an inning. Nathan Holler got the win after a perfect top of the 9th with 2 strikeouts.

Illinois State 10, Lindenwood 6: The Redbirds also earned a win over a struggling opponent, downing Lindenwood (9-32), 10-6. Illinois State led by as much as 9-3 after 6 innings. Auggie Rasmussen (.301-8-28) homered twice and drove in 4 runs, while Shai Robinson set the table for Rasmussen, going 4-for-5 with 3 runs. Daniel Pacella went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base. Thomas Harper started and got the win, giving up just 2 runs on 2 hits with 1 walk over 5 innings, striking out 7 won 60 pitches.

Evansville 9, Lipscomb 3: Up 1-0 entering the bottom of the 5th inning, Evansville (24-16) scored 8 runs in a 3-inning span to down visiting Lipscomb, 9-3. Kip Fougerousse stayed hot for the Purple Aces, going 2-for-3 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs, including a double and a walk. Eric Roberts homered, his 15th of the season to go with 43 RBIs, and team-highs for the season in runs (42) and total bases (98). He also pitched the last 1 2/3 innings, retiring all 5 men he faced on 27 pitches and striking out 2. Starter John MacCauley (3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K) got the victory.

Middle Tennessee 8, Belmont 4: The Blue Raiders (21-19) scored 5 runs in the 6th inning to break open a 2-2 tie and went on to defeat the Bruins (20-22), 8-4. Jackson Galloway (RBI single), D.J. Wright (2-run double), Gabe Jennings (RBI single), and Luke Vinson (RBI double) did the damage for MTSU in the 6th. Sam Slaughter drove in 2 runs for Belmont while Mason Landers, Brodey Heaton, Jeff Clarke, and Kaden Galason all had 2 hits each.

SEMO 6, Southern Illinois 2: SIU’s losing streak reached 4 games after the Salukis dropped a 6-2 decision at Southeast Missouri State (23-19). SIU (23-18) tied the game at 2 in the 3rd inning on a Pier-Olivier Boucher home run, but SEMO scored 2 in the 6th to retake the lead for good, then added 2 more in the 8th for insurance. Ryan Rodriguez went 2-for-4 for SIU, including a double.

Wednesday Night: Hey, I know, this Tuesday recap is a day late. Such is life with a 4-month-old daughter who spent most of Wednesday causing rambunction throughout the sphere. Anyway, there was 1 Valley game last night, as well, which saw Illinois State top Northern Illinois, 11-5. It was not a game for pitching purists early, as the Redbirds led, 8-5, after just 3 innings. But Zach Holcomb shut the Huskies down over 4 innings, allowing just 1 hit, 0 walks, and striking out 6 to get the win. Tyrelle Chadwick closed the game, working 2 innings with 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 stirkeout. Daniel Pacella hit another homer for Illinois State (15-22), his team-leading 12th of the season to go with 42 RBIs.