Bears Beat K-State for Fifth Shutout
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Despite totaling just two hits against four Kansas State pitchers, the Missouri State Bears took advantage of a pair of critical two-out errors to score three unearned runs and blank the visiting Wildcats, 3-0, Wednesday evening in non-conference action at Hammons Field. Led by Jake Powers's career-high nine-strikeout performance, four Missouri State pitchers combined to post MSU's fifth shutout of the season and run the Bears' home win streak to nine games.
The victory moved the Bears to within one game of the Hammons Field record for consecutive wins. MSU, which last lost at Hammons on March 13 against Purdue, has posted 10-straight home wins on two separate occasions since moving into the facility in 2004, with the most recent streak occurring April 11-May 11, 2008.
Powers (2-0) scattered five hits over six innings and worked out of several jams before handing off to his bullpen. Three MSU relievers--including a pair of freshmen--combined to strike out four more hitters in holding the Wildcats (17-15) in check over the final three frames to lift the Bears (25-10) to their fifth win in six games against a Big 12 opponent in 2012.
The game's pivotal moment came early, as the Bears jumped on top with a pair of runs in the first thanks to a two-out error by KSU second baseman Ross Kivett. Kevin Medrano reached on a one-out walk, moved into scoring position on Brent Seifert's grounder to first and came around with the first tally of the night when Kivett couldn't handle Luke Voit's pop up that landed just inches inside the foul line behind first base. Keenen Maddox made Wildcats starter Jared Moore pay, driving a 1-0 pitch into the left-center field gap to chase home Voit for a 2-0 MSU lead.
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Powers, who posted five strikeouts over the first three innings, worked his way into and out of trouble in the top of the fourth, issuing a lead-off walk to Wade Hinkle before allowing back-to-back singles by Blair DeBord and Jon Davis to load the bases. But the sophomore right-hander fanned Matt Giller for the first out of the inning, then retired Mike Kindel on a pop-up to second and Jake Brown on a fly ball to left to preserve the two-run lead.
The Missouri State defense was the culprit in creating a fifth-inning scoring opportunity for K-State, but Powers once again found a way out of a jam. Kivett started the inning with a bouncer to third that Seifert misplayed for an error, and Voit was called for catcher's interference with Tanner Witt on what would have been a routine grounder to second. After a Jared King sacrifice moved both runners into scoring position, Powers came up with a key strikeout of cleanup man Wade Hinkle before getting DeBord on a roller to second.
Powers breezed through the sixth in one-two-three fashion, ending his night with back-to-back punchouts of Giller and Kindel to finish with his second-straight nine-strikeout effort.
Zach Merciez would find himself in hot water in the seventh for MSU following a two-out walk to Witt and a base hit by King. But the freshman induced a grounder to third off the bat of RJ Santigate to keep the Wildcats off the board. KSU's biggest chance to cut into the Missouri State lead came in the eighth when Grant Gordon beaned Davis with one out, then allowed a double to Austin Fisher before yielding to freshman left-hander Tyler Burgess. After walking the first batter he faced, Burgess got Brown to look at a third strike for the final out of the frame.
The Bears tacked on an insurance run in the bottom half of the eighth, once again taking advantage of a two-out error by the Wildcats. One-out walks to Spiker Helms and Medrano gave MSU its first true scoring chance since the first inning, but a fielder's choice ground ball to short resulted in Helms being tagged out at the plate. KSU reliever Johnny Fasola appeared to be in the clear when Seifert bounced to short, only to see the ball carom off the arm of Brown, allowing Medrano to come home with the third MSU run.
Burgess made quick work of the Wildcats in the ninth, giving up only a two-out hit to King before blowing a third strike by Santigate for his third strikeout of the night. With his seventh save, Burgess tied Gordon's Missouri State freshman saves record and moved into a tie for fifth on the Bears' single-season list.
Moore (2-3) was the tough-luck loser for Kansas State, despite allowing just two unearned runs on one hit through three innings.
King led the Wildcats' eight-hit attack with a 3-for-4 night at the plate.
Medrano was the key figure for the Bears at the dish, scoring twice on a pair of walks to go along with his seventh steal of the season.
Up next, the Bears continue a five-game homestand Friday (April 13), when they open a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series against Illinois State at 6:30 p.m.
Bears Show Off Fast-Paced Offense
SPRINGFIELD -- The football Bears' efforts to pick up the tempo on the offensive side of the ball were loud and clear here Saturday morning in Missouri State's first intrasquad scrimmage of the spring.
Led by a pair of touchdowns from junior running back Vernon Scott and 205 passing yards from Trevor Wooden, the offense accumulated 484 yards on 91 official plays. The entire event took less than 90 minutes, but there were some fireworks on both sides.
Quarterback Kierra Harris manufactured the day's first long drive as he drove the offense inside the 10 yard line. The defense eventually halted the progress, and the white-clad offensive unit settled for a 33-yard field goal by Austin Witmer. Harris' hit tight end Richard Darden for a 21-yard gain on the drive to set up the eventual score.
Moments later, Trevor Wooden brought the first-team offense back on the field, and immediately led the starters to pay dirt. A screen pass to Vernon Scott was set up perfectly, and Scott went 75 yards untouched down the near sideline for a touchdown.
Scott would later tack on a 19-yard run toward the end of the scrimmage to account for the only two touchdowns of the session.
Working with a noticeably faster tempo, the offense struggled at times to find its timing. Nine penalties were thrown against the offensive unit, only six of which were accepted, and the two quarterbacks were sacked a combined eight times. Junior Martin Montgomery was in on six of those sack plays, while senior Chris Moses accounted for the only interception of the morning when he stopped a Harris drive with a pick just inside maroon territory.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Heaston carried 14 times for a team-high 89 yards, including an early 28-yard dash for the first big gainer of the day.
Wooden completed 78 percent of his passes and finished 14-for-18 through the air for 205 yards and the touchdown pass to Scott. Harris was an efficient 13-for-21 for 98 yards.
Cadarrius Dotson led 11 MSU receivers with seven catches for 83 yards.
The Bears are scheduled for three more practices this week before taking next weekend off. The team's next scrimmage will take place on April 14 at 10 a.m., a week before the club's annual Maroon and White scrimmage game on April 21 at 1 p.m.
Bears Finish Sweep of Creighton
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Missouri State Bears rallied from an early three-run deficit to complete a three-game sweep of Creighton with a 5-3 victory Sunday afternoon at Hammons Field. Spiker Helms went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk and an RBI to lead the Bears' comeback bid, while Clay Murphy held the Bluejays in check with seven solid innings to earn his fourth victory of the season.
After posting back-to-back shutouts of Creighton to begin the series, it only took eight scoreless innings for the Bears to notch their season-best seventh-straight victory Sunday. A three-run Bluejay first put Missouri State in an early hole, but the Bears battled their way back with single tallies in the first and third innings, before flipping the scoreboard for good with a two-run fourth. Three MSU hurlers blanked CU on four hits over the final eight innings, capping a banner week that saw the Bears pitching staff give up just two earned runs over 36 innings.
The three-game sweep gives the Bears their first 3-0 start to a Missouri Valley Conference season since 2009, when they started with five-straight Valley wins en route to claiming the league's regular-season title.
With just nine hits over the first 18 innings of the series, Creighton set the offensive tone early Sunday with three runs on three hits in the top of the first inning. Murphy hit lead-off man Chance Ross with the first pitch of the game, and the situation deteriorated rapidly from there. Brad McKewon laid down a sacrifice bunt, but catcher Luke Voit's throw to first sailed high, allowing both runners to move into scoring position. Murphy recovered momentarily to strike out Nick Judkins, but Anthony Bemboom's base hit to center gave CU a 2-0 lead and halted a 24 1/3 inning scoreless streak for Missouri State pitchers. The Bluejays added another tally to stretch their advantage to three runs, thanks to singles by Erik Mattingly and Alex Staehely.
The Bears began their recovery effort in the home half of the first, cashing in on a Voit double and a Brock Chaffin sacrifice fly, then pulled to within a single run in the third when Eric Cherayled-off with a triple and scored on Helms's single to center.
Missouri State's decisive rally in the fourth began with another lead-off triple, this time by Trey Massenberg. Koby Peebles followed with a walk, and Cheray drove in Massenberg with a sacrifice fly to center to even the score. Helms then doubled for the second time in the game, and Kevin Medrano laid down a squeeze bunt to chase home Peebles with the go-ahead run.
The Bears added to their lead the following inning, taking advantage of a hit batsman, a walk, a Brent Seifert single and a two-out wild pitch that allowed Chaffin to score from third.
Murphy (4-1) and freshman relievers Zach Merciez and Tyler Burgess took care of the rest, holding the Bluejays to two hits after the fourth inning. CU mounted its best scoring chance in the seventh after putting its first two hitters on base, but Murphy fanned Bemboom and Mattingly, then got Mike Gerber on a ground ball to first to get out of the inning. Merciez retired three of the four hitters he faced, and Burgess came on with one out in the ninth to wrap up his fifth save of the season.
In addition to Helms's big day at the plate, Cheray went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, and both Voit and Seifert totaled two hits for the Bears, who out-hit the Bluejays, 11-7.
Murphy allowed just one earned run and six hits, while striking out seven over his seven innings of work.
Nick Musec (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season after allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to score over 2/3 of an inning.
Missouri State (19-6, 3-0 MVC) is back in action Tuesday (March 27) evening with a 6:30 p.m. non-conference matchup against Kansas at Hammons Field.
Johnson Ks the ‘Jays
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Missouri State Bears rode a dominant mound performance from junior Pierce Johnson to claim a 3-0 victory over Creighton Friday night at Hammons Field in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both clubs. Johnson struck out a career-high 16 hitters in a five-hit, complete-game shutout of the defending league champs to hand the Bears (17-6, 1-0 MVC) their fifth-straight win.
Johnson's 16 strikeouts represents the most for a Missouri State pitcher in nearly 43 years and the third-highest single-game total in school history, trailing only 17-strikeout efforts by Gary Wilson (March 23, 1967) and Charles Burt (May 16, 1969). Additionally, Johnson becomes the first Bear hurler on record to post four-consecutive double-digit strikeout outings and extends his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 13 1/3 with his second-straight complete game.
The Bears, who were shut out in Johnson's last start on March 15, wasted little time in staking the right-hander to a lead. Brent Seifert led-off the second with a walk, moved into scoring position on a Brock Chaffin sacrifice and scored on Conor Smith's two-out double to right-center. After Kevin Medrano delivered the first of his two hits on the night to kick-start a third-inning rally, Seifert was involved in MSU's second scoring opportunity as well, driving home Medrano with a grounder to second to put the Bears on top, 2-0.
Missouri State added an insurance run in the seventh, capitalizing on a pair of Ty Blach walks and a Spiker Helms RBI single to push the margin to three runs.
Johnson wouldn't need the extra support after working out of his biggest jam of the game in the top half of the seventh. CU put a pair of runners on base via a walk and a one-out Brad McKewon base hit, but Johnson fanned No. 3 hitter Nick Judkins and got Anthony Bemboom to tap back to the mound to end the inning. Johnson then quickly dispatched the Bluejays in the ninth, striking out pinch hitter Gabriel Thibodeaux and Mike Gerber before coaxing a fly ball to center from Erik Mattingly to wrap up the Bears' seventh consecutive win on opening night in MVC play.
Just about the only mistake Johnson made on the night was a fourth-inning fielding miscue that cost the Bears their school-record errorless streak of 240 consecutive fielding chances over a seven-game stretch. Predictably, Johnson made the error a moot point by striking out the side.
Medrano's two hits led the Bears' offense, while McKewon accounted for three of the Bluejays' five hits on the night.
The Bears and Bluejays (11-8, 0-1 MVC) will square off again Saturday at 2 p.m., before wrapping up the series with a 1 p.m. tilt Sunday.
Bears Football Set To Begin Spring Practice
Missouri State Football - 2012 Spring Schedule
(all dates and times subject to change due to weather and other considerations)
Date Time Event
Tue., March 27 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #1
Wed., March 28 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #2
Fri., March 30 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #3
Sat., March 31 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. Practice #4 (Scrimmage 1)
Tue., April 3 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #5
Wed, April 4 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #6
Thu., April 5 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #7*
Tue., April 10 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #8
Wed., April 11 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #9*
Thu., April 12 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #10
Sat., April 14 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Practice #11 (Scrimmage 2)
Tue., April 17 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #12
Wed., April 18 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #13
Fri., April 20 3:15 - 5:45 p.m. Practice #14
Sat., April 21 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Practice #15 (Maroon & White Spring Game)
Saffold, Douglas Stand Out at Missouri State Pro Day 2012
March 16, 2012
SPRINGFIELD -- Missouri State's annual football pro day at Plaster Field on Friday morning proved to be successful as 13 NFL teams sent representatives to evaluate the eight former Bears and four others chasing their professional dreams.
A pair of MSU players, Jermaine Saffold and Chris Douglas, stole most of the attention. Saffold had the best 40-yard time of the day at 4.36 and also registered a broad jump of 10-feet, 3 inches. Douglas, who showed up in remarkable shape, turned in a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash after spending most of his post-graduation time working out at a professional training facility.
Former Bears Stephen Johnston, Caleb Mueller, Jimmie Strong, Willie White, Terian Washington and Antoine Wilkinson were also evaluated today. Two players from Evangel University, including former Bear Sam Guillaume, also participated along with representatives from Southwest Baptist University and Missouri University of Science & Technology.
Scouts from the Bills, Colts, Jaguars, Chiefs, Giants, Eagles, Bears, Packers, Panthers, Buccaneers, 49ers, Steelers and Seahawks evaluated the pro hopefuls in the 40-yard dash, broad jump, shuttle run, three-cone drills, position skill tests and other speed drills after an early-morning evaluations in the weight room.
The NFL Pro Day series puts NFL staffs on the road throughout the month of March to scout talent up close and personal on college campuses. The evaluative events give NFL Combine participants an opportunity to improve their times and marks, while providing a venue for under-the-radar players to demonstrate their skills and make a name for themselves prior to the April 26-28 Draft.
Both Saffold and Douglas indicated they will try to improve marks in certain events at the March 23 pro day in St. Joseph at Missouri Western State University.
Tight end Clay Harbor was the star attraction at MSU's inaugural Pro Day in 2010 when he improved on his NFL Combine time in the 40-yard dash and parlayed his on-campus performance into a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles. Last year, offensive lineman David Arkin upped his stock at Pro Day and jumped to a fourth-round selection by the Dallas Cowboys on draft day. Players like Kolby Hurt and Jake Duron also took full advantage of the MSU pro day in 2011, turning enough heads at Plaster Field to garner free agent contracts with the Saints and Jets, respectively.
Baseball Gets Big 9th to Beat ORU
From MSU Athletics Communications
March 17, 2012
SPRINFGIELD, Mo. - Sophomore pitcher Nick Petree turned in eight shutout innings to lead the Missouri State Bears to a 5-0 victory over Oral Roberts Saturday afternoon at Hammons Field. Petree struck-out a season high nine batters and ran his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 15 in his second-straight combined shutout.
Brent Seifert led the Missouri State offense with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, and Brock Chaffin's two-run, fifth-inning single was the key blow for the Bears, who improved to 14-6 on the season.
Petree, who fanned five hitters while facing the minimum through the first three innings, won his fourth-straight start to improve to 4-1 on the year. The right-hander needed just 94 pitches to complete eight innings, scattering eight hits in all, before handing the ball to freshman lefty Tyler Burgess, who finished the game to register his eighth-consecutive scoreless outing.
With Petree in control on the mound, Missouri State's offense finally got going in the fifth, when Chaffin's one-out base hit plated the first two runs of the afternoon. Luke Voit kicked-off the rally by drawing a one-out walk before Brent Seifert delivered the first of three-straight hits with a double down the left field line to set the stage for Chaffin's line drive into left-center off ORU starting pitcher Mike Torrence.
The Bears added three more tallies in the bottom of the eighth, thanks to a pair of defensive miscues by the Golden Eagles. After Conor Smith's lead-off single to center, ORU chose to make a play at second on pinch runner Joey Hawkins when Dylan Becker laid down a sacrifice bunt. Hawkins beat the throw, and both baserunners moved up a station on a wild pitch, resulting in ORU's decision to issue an intentional walk to Spiker Helms to load the bases. Kevin Medrano tapped softly back to the mound, but Golden Eagle reliever Lars Liguori's throw home was wild, allowing both Hawkins and Becker to score for a 4-0 MSU advantage. Voit capped the scoring with a sac fly to right to drive in Helms with the Bears' fifth run of the game.
Burgess gave up a lead-off walk to Brandon Healy and a one-out double to Jared Schlehuber in the ninth, but Brandon King flew out to left, and Nate Goro bounced out to second to end the game and extend the Golden Eagles' scoreless drought in the series to 14-straight innings.
In addition to big days from Seifert and Chaffin, MSU got a career day from Smith, who recorded his first two-hit game as a Bear.
Torrence (1-3) was tagged with the loss for ORU (9-9) after surrendering two runs on five hits over 5.0 innings.
The Bears and Golden Eagles conclude their four-game series Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. tilt at Hammons Field.
Lady Bears Win Big over Memphis
From MSU Sports Information:
March 17, 2012
SPRINGFIELD -- The Missouri State Lady Bears (24-8) shot 10-for-20 from three-point land for their highest total since Dec. 20 in an 82-65 win over Memphis (25-8) Saturday evening in the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament at JQH Arena.
The Lady Bears move on to play the winner of the Oklahoma State and Wichita State game in the round of 16. That game will be played Sunday afternoon in Stillwater, Okla. The third round takes place March 21-23 at campus sites.
The Lady Bears closed the first half on a 7-0 run to lead 32-25 after six ties and four lead changes. Missouri State led 7-1 just over three minutes in thanks to an 0-for-6 start for Memphis, and kept the six-point lead to 12-6 with 11:48 remaining before the Tigers fought back for a 14-all tie less than two minutes later.
Memphis gained its largest advantage of the period at 19-17 before committing a flagrant foul that resulted in two Jasmine Malone free throws followed by a Jaleshia Roberson three-pointer at the 5:54 mark for a 22-19 MSU advantage. The Tigers tied at 22, 24 and 25, but didn't score in the final 3:11 while the Lady Bears ran 7-0, the last five points coming from Malone.
The second half was a completely different story for the Lady Bears as they shot 53.1 percent overall and 58.3 percent from three-point land while pushing the lead up to 25 points.
As the half began, Bry Snow and Karly Buer scored for MSU to extend the run to 11-0 as the Memphis scoreless drought reached 5 minutes and 43 seconds before the Tigers made a jumper at the 17:28 mark to make it 36-27.
Buer drained a three-pointer off an offensive rebound to put the Lady Bears up 12 at 41-29 with 15:52 to play, and Malone followed with another with 15:07 left to extend the lead to 44-29. Buer then banked in a jumper and Roberson converted a three-point play as the Lady Bears completed an 11-0 run in just 2:27 of game time to lead 49-29.
Memphis cut the MSU lead to 15 points on two occasions before the Lady Bears swished three-pointers on four straight possessions with Roberson, Buer, Malone and Memphis native Desiree Phillips hitting from long range in exchange for Tiger two-pointers to make the score 67-44 with 7:51 to play. Aly Stock followed with a jumper for a 25-point lead, and the Tigers got no closer than 15 the rest of the way.
Twelve players scored and 11 grabbed a rebound for the Lady Bears, led by Malone's 20 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Buer added 16 and Roberson scored 14, while Christiana Shorter had eight points and eight rebounds.
The Lady Bears shot 45.3 percent for the game and held a 49-42 rebounding edge. Memphis made just 37.3 percent of its shots from the field, including 3-for-17 on threes and 12-for-30 at the free throw line.
Conference USA Player of the Year Jasmine Lee had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Memphis, while Nicole Dickson threatened a triple-double with 29 points, nine rebounds and eight steals.
The game included several notable statistical achievements for various Lady Bears as well. Lacey Boshe moved alone into first place on MSU's career games played list with her 130th appearance, while Casey Garrison tied Jackie Stiles for second at 129. Malone passed Tiff Terwelp for 24th placing on the scoring list, finishing with 993 career points. Roberson made her 259th career three-pointer with 5:11 left to pass Melody Howard for third in MSU and eighth in MVC history.
Bears to take Historic Foreign Tour
From MSU:
SPRINGFIELD -- For the first time in the history of the program, the Missouri State men's basketball team will take a summer international trip when the Bears embark on a seven-day foreign tour of Costa Rica, Aug. 7-13. The trip will combine practice and a series of exhibition games with a unique cultural experience for the student-athletes. And, thanks to a generous donor, the trip expenses will be completely covered with private funds.
Head coach Paul Lusk said the trip not only keeps Missouri State on par with some of the nation's top programs, but will provide the players a unique educational opportunity.
"From the standpoint of recruiting and keeping us competitive on a national level, this is monumental for our program," Lusk said. "There are obvious competitive advantages a trip like this provides -- getting to practice together in the summer, playing good international opponents and giving our team a chance to begin bonding. But, the bigger picture is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime cultural experience. It's an opportunity that supports our University's statewide mission in public affairs and reflects our program goal to develop well-rounded student-athletes."
The Bears will be afforded a maximum of 10 practices before leaving the U.S. and will play at least three exhibition games in Costa Rica. Lusk indicated the team will also take part in at least one significant community service initiative on the trip.
NCAA rules permit Division I schools to participate in one out-of-season trip abroad every four years. However, cost and other factors have deterred Missouri State from being able to take advantage of this provision in the past.
With philanthropic support making the Costa Rica opportunity a reality, MSU Director of Athletics Kyle Moats said the trip is a natural step in the continued evolution of Missouri State basketball.
"Donor support is 100-percent responsible for making this trip possible," Moats said. "We are extremely grateful for the generosity of our supporters who play such a large role in keeping our teams competitive.
"Having JQH Arena as a premier on-campus showcase, starting the Jim D. Morris Basketball Complex project, and staying on the cutting edge competitively with trips like this are laying the foundation for Missouri State's future. Broadening that foundation with additional donor support and by increasing our fan base will be vital to our long-term success."
Coach Lusk also extended his gratitude to the donors that made the Costa Rica trip possible.
"I'm so grateful to family that made this gift to our program and for providing us with this opportunity," Lusk added.
The Costa Rica trip is the second significant, basketball-related gift provided by a donor in the last week. On March 7, a major gift from Jim D. Morris, a Springfield philanthropist and long-time MSU supporter, was announced. The basketball complex that will bear Morris' name will include facilities such as team locker rooms, coaches offices, a team video room, athletic training facilities and an academic study area for the Bears and Lady Bears at JQH Arena, which opened in 2008.
Lusk, who will begin his second season as head coach of the Bears, will return seven scholarship players for the 2012-13 season, including five players who started 11 games or more this season.
NCAA rules allow incoming student-athletes (freshmen and transfers) to participate in foreign-tour events. Rules also allow players to experience a foreign tour just once during their intercollegiate careers.
Bears Fall Short To #24 Purdue, 4-2
From MSU Athletics Communications:
Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Missouri State limited the nation's top hitting team to four runs, but its offense couldn't solve Purdue's pitching in a 4-2 setback at Hammons Field Tuesday evening. Clay Murphy turned in another strong starting performance for the Bears (12-5), striking-out eight Boilermakers over seven-plus innings, but the visitors scored three times in the first three innings and made the lead stand to win their 12th game in 13 outings this season.
Entering the game with a team .376 batting average, Purdue wasted little time in showing off their offensive prowess. The Boilermakers grabbed the upper hand in the second inning, capitalizing on a Kevin Plawecki leadoff double and two-out, run-scoring singles by David Miller and Stephen Talbott to take a 2-0 lead over Murphy and the Bears. They would extend the margin to three runs the following inning when Eric Charles and Cameron Perkins delivered back-to-back doubles with one out.
With the three-run cushion in hand, Boilermaker freshman starter Connor Podkul controlled the MSU offense throughout his 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander retired the first seven batters of the game and 12 of the first 14 overall in his first collegiate start. Missouri State finally saw a batter reach base with two out in the third when Podkul plunked Koby Peebles with a 2-2 pitch. A wild pitch would move Peebles into scoring position, but Podkul preserved his 3-0 lead by coaxing Spiker Helms to line out to third to end the inning.
The Bears broke their scoring seal in the fifth after recording their first two hits of the night to chase Podkul from the contest. Dylan Becker led-off the frame with a line drive into right field and moved over to third when Peebles doubled to right with one out. After a Purdue pitching change, pinch hitter Conor Smith put MSU on the board with a sacrifice fly to center.
Luke Voit narrowed the gap even further in the seventh, when the junior catcher drilled a leadoff homer over the wall in right-center field to pull MSU to within 3-2.
But Perkins answered right back against Murphy in the top of the eighth, lifting a towering drive into the Bears' bullpen in left to re-establish the two-run margin for the Boilermakers.
That would be all lefty reliever Blake Mascarello (4-0) and right-handed closer Nick Wittgren would need to finish off the win. Mascarello, who struck-out the side to strand the tying run in the seventh, earned the victory, and Wittgren closed out his fourth save of the season with two scoreless innings. The Bears put runners on in both the eighth and ninth innings, but each time Wittgren avoided trouble, getting key strikeouts of Brent Seifert and Peebles to squash the comeback bids.
In all, the three Purdue pitchers combined to hold the Bears to just four hits on the night.
Miller led Purdue's 11-hit attack with a 3-for-4 night, while Talbot, Plawecki, Charles and Perkins each contributed two hits.
Becker paced MSU's offense with two hits and a run scored in four trips to the plate, and freshman reliever Zach Merciez worked two scoreless innings to finish the game. Murphy (2-1) was tagged with his first loss of the season after allowing nine hits and all four Purdue runs.
The Bears begin their split four-game series with Oral Roberts Thursday evening with a 6:30 p.m. contest at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Okla. MSU and ORU will play again Friday at 3 p.m. in Tulsa, before wrapping up the series with two games at Hammons Field, Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).