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Indiana State University Athletics

Stinson
11
Winner Indiana State INS 36-14, 22-3 MVC
4
Missouri State MOST 31-19, 18-7 MVC
Winner
Indiana State INS
36-14, 22-3 MVC
11
Final
4
Missouri State MOST
31-19, 18-7 MVC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Indiana State INS 0 3 5 0 2 0 0 1 0 11 15 1
Missouri State MOST 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 4 7 4

W: Jachec, Matt (6-3) L: Thompson,Brandt (6-4)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Outright Champions; Sycamores top Bears 11-4 to clinch first MVC regular season title since 2012

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Indiana State clinched the outright 2023 Missouri Valley Baseball regular season title on Thursday night as the Sycamores pounded out 15 hits in a dominant offensive output to top Missouri State at Hammons Field, 11-4.
 
Parker Stinson connected on the go-ahead three-run home run as a part of a four-RBI day and Keegan Watson went 4-for-5 from the plate as Indiana State (36-14, 22-3 MVC) scored 10 runs over the first five innings to take control of the game early against the Bears (31-19, 18-7 MVC).
 
Missouri State rallied back on Spencer Nivens and Carter Bergman home runs before ISU reliever Cam Edmonson shut the door on the Bears lineup retiring the last seven batters in order, including striking out the side in the eighth, to close out the Sycamore win.
 
Indiana State's win clinched ISU's second outright MVC title in program history and first since 2012 as the Sycamores hold a four-game lead over the Bears with two to play. ISU's 22 MVC wins this season sit one shy of tying the ISU record for most conference wins in a season trailing just the 1998 team (23-9).
 
The Sycamore offense came out of the gates swinging as ISU racked up 11 hits over the first five innings to build a double-digit lead. Stinson provided the first blow with a three-run home run over the right field in the top of the second inning. From there, ISU took advantage of a pair of MSU errors in the third and Watson, Grant Magill, and Randal Diaz all drove in runs to give the Sycamores the 8-0 lead.
 
Mike Sears homered to lead off the top of the fifth and Josue Urdaneta connected on an RBI sacrifice fly scoring Stinson to give Indiana State the commanding 10-0 lead midway through the game.
 
Missouri State attempted to rally back but the Bears were unable to string together enough hits to build momentum late in the game. Miguel Rivera provided the clincher for ISU with a two-out RBI single in the top of the eighth scoring Urdaneta to provide the final 11-4 margin.
 
All nine ISU starters in the lineup recorded a hit on Thursday night paced by Watson's four-hit game. Rivera and Mike Sears both had two hits and scored twice, while Stinson scored three runs in addition to driving in four RBIs in the win.
 
Matt Jachec (6-3) took the win in his last regular season start in 2023. The redshirt junior right-hander went 6.2 innings allowing six hits and four runs while walking two and striking out four. Cam Edmonson pitched around a leadoff single to retire seven in a row to close out the final 2.1 innings on the mound.

Taeg Gollert went 3-for-4 on Thursday night to lead the Missouri State offense. Nivens and Bergman both homered in the loss.
 
Brandt Thompson (6-4) took the loss on the mound allowing eight hits and eight runs (three earned) while walking one and striking out two over 2.2 innings. Forrest Barnes went 3.1 innings in relief allowing three hits and a pair of runs, while Corbin Bassham, Trey Ziegenbein, and Scott Youngbrandt all saw time on the mound.
 
How They Scored
  • Parker Stinson put the Sycamores on the board with a three-run home run to right field in the top of the second inning to give ISU the early 3-0 lead.
  • The Sycamores plated five runs in the third with Keegan Watson and Grant Magill connecting on RBI singles, while Randal Diaz drove a two-run double to centerfield to put ISU ahead 8-0.
  • ISU's lead hit double-digits in the top of the fifth inning as Mike Sears homered and Stinson scored on Josue Urdaneta's sacrifice fly to put the Sycamores ahead 10-0.
  • Spencer Nivens put Missouri State on the scoreboard with a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 10-1 game.
  • Cam Cratic connected on an RBI groundout and Carter Bergman hit a two-run homer to left as Missouri State cut it to 10-4 after the bottom of the seventh inning.
  • Miguel Rivera drove in the final run of the game with an RBI single to center field scoring Urdaneta to provide the final 11-4 margin. 
News & Notes                                                                                                                                    
  • Indiana State secured just the second outright MVC regular season title in program history and first since 2012 with Thursday's win over Missouri State.
  • The Sycamores' 22 wins in MVC play this season are the second-most in program history trailing ISU's 23-9 mark set back in 1998.
  • The Sycamores need one more win over the weekend to complete their first MVC season sweep in program history. ISU has won each of the eight conference weekend series to date in 2023 and their last nine overall dating back to the end of 2022.
  • ISU's 19 true road wins in 2023 marks just the third time the Sycamores have hit the mark since the 2018 season (19) and most since the Sycamores went 21-12 on the road back in the 2021 season.
  • Mike Sears continues his assault on the record books as the Sycamore third baseman connected on his team-leading 17th home run of 2023. According to current records on hand, he enters into a four-way tie for second place in the ISU record books with Dan Frye (1992), Jason Frome (2001), and Dane Giesler (2017) and trails only Boi Rodriguez's 20 home runs set back in 1985.
  • Adam Pottinger tied Luis Hernandez for ISU's longest on-base streak in the 2023 season as the junior outfielder reached base for the 26th consecutive game on Thursday night. Pottinger went 1-for-5 from the plate and scored a run to equal the mark set by Hernandez from February 26-April 16.
  • Indiana State's hit-by-pitch streak came to an end on Thursday as the 17-game stretch ended when the box score reflected the Sycamores were not plunked by the Bears' pitching staff. ISU has been hit by a Missouri Valley-leading 94 pitches in the 2023 season.
  • Cam Edmonson recorded his third consecutive scoreless outing and eighth over his last nine appearances. The junior left-hander has struck out 14 batters over his last 12.0-innings and has now allowed a walk since April 4 against Indiana. 
Up Next
Indiana State and Missouri State are scheduled to continue the series at Hammons Field on Friday night with first pitch set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game is scheduled to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.

Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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