Box Score (PDF)

Game Highlights

Postgame comments from head coach Heller

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The visiting Missouri State Bears hit three home runs on Friday night in Terre Haute, including a go-ahead two-run shot by Patrick Drake in the eighth inning to even their Missouri Valley Conference series with Indiana State behind a 7-5 victory on Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium.

Indiana State (41-14, 14-6 MVC) took the lead in the second inning, taking advantage of a Missouri State error to score two runs. Junior Rob Ort led off the inning with a ground ball to short that MSU shortstop Eric Cheray threw wide of the bag at first, allowing Ort to advance to second on the error. Senior Lucas Hileman put ISU on the board with a triple over the centerfielder's head and would score when fellow senior Ryan Walterhouse hit a sacrifice fly to center when he came up next.

After Missouri State (36-18, 12-7 MVC) put a run on the board in the top of the third, the Sycamores responded with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Ort dropped down a two-out bunt single down the third base line to plate ISU's first run before senior Jon Hedges drove in junior Jeremy Lucas with a single to center to make it 4-1 ISU.

The Bears hit their first two home runs of the game in fourth inning, as Keenen Maddox and Derek Mattea went back-to-back to lead off the inning and cut ISU's lead to 4-3. MSU tied the score in the seventh inning when Luke Voit tripled into the right-center field gap following Kevin Medrano's leadoff double.

The Sycamores regained their one-run lead in the bottom half of the seventh inning, starting the rally with a one-out by senior Kyle Burnam. Ort came up with two outs and hit a soft ground ball through the left side of the infield and Burnam was able to beat the throw home to put ISU in front 5-4.

Drake gave MSU a lead they would not surrender in the eighth, as the late-inning substitution followed a Brock Chaffin single with a two-run shot to left. The Bears tacked on another run later in the inning on a Voit sacrifice fly.

Sophomore Sean Manaea started for ISU and pitched four innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out four. Senior Reggie Hochstedler (4-2) took the loss in relief.

Ort and Lucas both picked up two hits on Friday, with Ort also driving in two runs. ISU was also hit by two pitches in the game, pushing their record-setting total to 100 on the season.

ISU and MSU play the rubber match in their series at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Junior Ryan Torgerson (8-2, 3.04 ERA) will head to the mound for the Sycamores against junior Pierce Johnson (2-6, 2.85 ERA) for the Bears. Saturday will also be Senior Day at Bob Warn Field, as Indiana State will honor their 10 seniors prior to the game.