SPRINGFIELD – Behind a third-consecutive shutout performance from its pitching staff, Missouri State stretched its win streak to six games with a 5-0 victory over Central Arkansas Friday afternoon in its 2017 home opener at Hammons Field.
The combined efforts of Jordan Knutson, Jake Fromson and Bryan Young helped produce the first streak of three consecutive shutouts for a Missouri State pitching staff in the 54-year history of the program. Additionally, the Bears’ 14 strikeouts marked their sixth-straight game of 10 or more punchouts—just one shy of the school record, set by last year’s staff from Feb. 28 through March 8.
Knutson (2-0) struck out eight UCA hitters over his 5 1/3 innings, Fromson followed with 2.2 hitless frames and Young closed the door with a pair of ninth-inning strikeouts. Knutson, who allowed six hits and a pair of walks, stranded runners in scoring position in four of the first five innings, and Fromson worked out of a sixth-inning jam by fanning the first two hitters he faced.
At the plate, the Bears took advantage of nine walks and a hit batsman to claim their sixth win in a row and their eighth in nine games, despite being out-hit by a 6-4 margin.
Jeremy Eierman’s fourth home run of the season to lead off the fourth staked the Bears to a 1-0 lead, and Justin Paulsen’s fielder’s choice grounder plated another as part of MSU’s two-run fifth. A two-out wild pitch from Central Arkansas starter Ty Tice (1-1) brought in Alex Jefferson, who doubled with one out after Jack Duffy started the rally by drawing one of nine walks handed out by UCA pitchers.
Jefferson reached base safely in each of his first three plate appearances, recording a single in the first and absorbing a Tice offering in the third before his key double in the fifth.
Hunter Steinmetz added a two-run single in the eighth to extend the margin to five runs, following three more walks that loaded the bases.
Fromson and Young continued the Bears’ impressive stretch of bullpen success, combining on 3 2/3 hitless innings and six of MSU’s 14 strikeouts. Through nine games in 2017, the Bears’ relief corps has yielded just one earned run on 14 hits and eight walks, while striking out 44 hitters over 33.0 innings.
The Bears continue their three-game series with UCA Saturday with a 2:05 p.m. contest, before wrapping up the weekend with a 1:05 p.m. game Sunday.
