SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State used a five-run third inning Tuesday evening to build all the cushion it needed on the way to an 8-4 victory over Oral Roberts at Hammons Field, completing a three-game season sweep of the Golden Eagles.
ORU (23-28-1) opened the game with three consecutive singles and scored twice, and the Bears (21-31) responded with single runs in their next two at bats.
Cody Kelly hit the first pitch of the bottom of the first for a double to extend his reached base streak to 21 games and scored on a Taeg Gollert single. Then in the second, Carter Bergman’s two-out double drove in Logan Chambers for the 2-2 tie.
The Bears loaded the bases with walks to begin the third, the first drawn by Nick Rodriguez to push his reached base streak to 33 consecutive contests. Tyler Epstein cleared them with a three-run double, then scored on Chambers’ fifth homer of the year, MSU’s 300th as a team since the beginning of the 2022 season. Chambers went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
MoState held the 7-2 lead until ORU doubled twice for a run in the sixth, and Caden Bogenpohl answered with a solo homer in the seventh to make it 8-3. His 18th round-tripper of the season moved him one shy of Ryan Howard’s MSU freshman record, while his 46th walk of the year earlier in the game moved him up to third on the school’s single-season list.
The Golden Eagles led off the ninth with a solo home run, then loaded the bases with two out to bring in Stephen Schissler from the bullpen to strike out the only hitter he faced for the save.
Missouri State used seven pitchers in the game, and freshman Jake Syverson (1-2) tossed a scoreless third frame to earn his first victory as a Bear. Tyler Charlton and Eric Loomis each threw two perfect innings of relief.
The Bears are home Thursday-Saturday to close the regular season with Southern Illinois. First pitch each day is at 11 a.m. Saturday is both Senior Day and Keith Guttin Day, with pregame festivities beginning at approximately 10:25 a.m.
