SPRINGFIELD – Jacksonville State handed Missouri State just its second home loss of the season Saturday afternoon and tied the weekend series at one game apiece with a 10-2 victory at Route 66 Stadium, reversing the score from Mo State’s win on Friday.
Jax State (37-10, 19-4 Conference USA) got seven shutout innings from starter Beau Bryans and scored in five consecutive innings beginning with the fifth frame to drop the Bears to 27-16 overall and 15-8 in league play.
The Gamecocks broke a scoreless tie in the fifth with a three-run homer from Jaxon Pate, added a two-run single in the sixth, hit two triples as part of a three-run seventh and made it 9-0 in the eighth with a two-out single.
The Bears broke up the shutout in the bottom of the eighth, opening with a pair of singles including Bryce Cermenelli extending his hitting streak to 26 games. Logan Fyffe followed with an RBI double and Curry Sutherland hit a sacrifice fly for the Mo State runs. Jax State tallied another RBI single in the ninth for the 10-2 final.
Jax Ryan collected Mo State’s only multi-hit game by going 2-for-3 with a walk and stolen base. Brock Lucas (4-4) took the loss with his only blemish the three-run homer in the fifth frame.
The series concludes at 12 p.m. Sunday. Mo State will honor its senior class in a pregame ceremony at 11:40 a.m.
