Life in the Valley

Missouri State Rallies from 5 Down in 9th, Wins in 10

Nick Rodriguez finished off a magical night at the plate with an opposite field home run in the top of the 10th inning that lifted Missouri State past #2 Arkansas, 14-13, in 10 innings in Fayetteville Tuesday night.

Rodriguez, who also hit a solo homer in the 7th inning, went 5-f0r-6 with the 2 RBIs and 5 runs. He also doubled in one of the best hitting performances by any Valley player this season. The 2 homers and 5 runs were season highs for Rodriguez, a senior from Tampa who is now 10-for-20 in his last 4 games with 9 runs scored, 6 RBIs, and 3 homers. He’s hitting .351 for the season with 3 homers and 15 RBIs, scoring 26 runs.

Missouri State hit 4 homers and 3 doubles and touched Arkansas pitching for 14 hits. This despite striking out 19 times – the Bears hit a remarkable .560 (14-for-25) in at-bats where they didn’t strike out.

Strikeouts were the bane of Missouri State’s existence for a long stretch late, and made it hard to believe a comeback was coming. After Rodriguez’s first homer made it 12-8 Arkansas, Jake McCutcheon walked. But the next 3 batters all struck out against Cole Gibler. Brent Iredale came on to pitch the 8th and he struck out the side, getting Zack Stewart looking, then Tyler Epstein and William Zareh swinging. The 9th didn’t start out any different, with Bogenpohl striking out to make it 7 straight Ks.

Down 5, with 1 out in the 9th, and unable to even make contact, there was no reason for Razorback fans to think their team was headed for disaster.

But then, fittingly, it was Rodriguez that got things started. His single not only gave the Bears (11-12, 3-0) a baserunner, but just making contact had to feel like a break through in the Bears’ dugout. McCutcheon followed with a single and Will McIntire came on for the Razorbacks (23-3). Taeg Gollert singled to score Rodriguez and it was 13-9. Max Knight doubled, scoring McCutcheon. 13-10. Stewart singled in Gollert. 13-11. Epstein walked with the bases loaded. 13-12. “Is this really happening?,” Arkansas fans were probably thinking.

It was. A fielder’s choice scored pinch-runner Logan Dunn to tie it. The 5-run rally featured 5 hits, one Arkansas error, and perhaps uncharacteristically for the Bears, featured just one extra-base hit (Knight’s double).

Jackson Holmes, who started Missouri State’s 8-2 win over Bradley Saturday but only threw 4 innings, then pitched a dominating bottom of the 9th, striking out 2 and getting a nice catch by Gollert on a deep fly to left center.

After Rodriguez gave Missouri State the lead in the top of the 10th, Holmes walked the first man he faced in the Arkansas 10th, but stuck out Kuhio Alou (a .400 hitter), using two breaking balls to rally from behind 2-0 in the count, then blowing him away with a fast ball up in the zone at 94. That ended Holmes’ night, with Knight coming on to close it out. A fly out and a fielder’s choice finished it, with the Bears toppling a Razorbacks’ club that hadn’t lost at home all season. Holmes improved to 3-3 on the season while Knight picked up his 1st collegiate save. Knight hasn’t allowed a run in 5 of his last 6 outings, a span of 6 1/3 innings.

McCutcheon went 3-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs for the Bears, while Knight and Stewart each had 2 hits, as well.

The Bears and Razorbacks meet again April 29 in Springfield. No stranger to a tough non-conference schedule, the Bears also host Oklahoma State, Missouri, and UCF this season, while playing at Kansas State and Missouri.

Meanwhile, winners of 4 straight and alone atop the Valley standings at 3-0, Missouri State steps back into conference play this weekend by welcoming Belmont to Springfield. The Bruins are 1-2 in the conference (9-17 overall) after dropping 2 of 3 to Illinois State last weekend.

Missouri State’s mid-week slate still includes games at home vs. Oklahoma State, Missouri, and UCF, with road games at Kansas State, Missouri.

Ed Morgans is the founder of MVCBaseball.com. An Evansville graduate, Ed has written about and broadcast college baseball, while following the sport for 40 years.