Baseball Evens Series at Missouri State

Saturday, March 5

Springfield, Mo.

3 P.M.

Indiana University

3-6

Missouri State

5-5

Indiana

Missouri State

3/5/2022 6:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Another big offensive output and a quality start by redshirt-junior Jack Perkins helped the Indiana baseball program even its series at Missouri State with a 12-3 victory.

Indiana (3-6) chased the Missouri State (5-5) starting pitcher with a five-run first inning and added two runs in the second inning to stake to a 7-0 lead. After the Bears scored once in the third, IU put up single runs in the fifth and sixth innings and added three more in the seventh. Missouri State scored twice in the eighth to account for the final margin.

Perkins (2-0) picked up his second victory of the season with a career-high six innings of work. The right-hander allowed just one run on two hits. He struck out seven and walked three. Freshman Grant Holderfield fired a scoreless seventh inning with two strikeouts, while redshirt-junior Ty Bothwell threw the final two innings and allowed two runs on two hits with four punchouts.

Offensively, all nine starters reached base and seven of nine collected hits. The 16 hits were a season high, and the 12 runs are the second most on the young season. The team walked four times and reached via hit-by-pitch once. Of the 16 hits, six went for extra bases.

Redshirt-junior Matthew Ellis drove in seven RBIs and scored three runs in a 3-for-5 day at the plate. All three of Ellis' hits went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs, and his seven RBIs are the most since Matt Lloyd plated seven runs at Maryland on March 31, 2019.

Freshman Brock Tibbitts posted a game-high four hits with one RBI, while redshirt-sophomore Bobby Whalen collected three hits – including a pair of doubles – and drove in two RBIs.

For Missouri State, starting pitcher Jared Viertel (0-1) recorded one out and allowed five runs on five hits in the loss. Four different Bears collected one hit in the game.

Scoring Recap
Top First
The first eight batters of the inning reached base and Indiana sent 10 batters to the plate to race out to a 5-0 lead. After Tyler Doanes singled and Phillip Glasser singled, Bobby Whalen doubled to push across the first run of the game. Matthew Ellis plated two runs with a double, and Brock Tibbitts and Hunter Jessee each produced RBI singles.
Indiana 5, Missouri State 0

Top Second
Ellis hit a two-run home run to right-center field.
Indiana 7, Missouri State 0

Bottom Third
The Bears loaded the bases with no out against IU starting pitcher Jack Perkins and Drake Baldwin pushed a run across with a hit-by-pitch. Perkins then got a strikeout and a double play to get out of the inning with no further damage.
Indiana 7, Missouri State 1

Top Fifth
Doanes and Glasser each reached base with two outs and Whalen doubled to left field to score one.
Indiana 8, Missouri State 1

Top Sixth
Morgan Colopy doubled to start the inning and eventually scored on a Josh Pyne sacrifice fly.
Indiana 9, Missouri State 1

Top Seventh
With one out, Doanes and Glasser each walked, and Ellis delivered a two-out, three-run home run to straight-away center field.
Indiana 12, Missouri State 1

Bottom Eighth
Missouri State got two runs back against reliever Ty Bothwell, as MSU benefited from two walks with one out to get the offense started. Cam Cratic doubled to drive in the first run and Mason Hall grounded out to score the second run of the inning.
Indiana 12, Missouri State 3

Up Next
Indiana and Missouri State will play the series finale 1 p.m. ET at Hammons Field, a new time with some weather entering the Springfield area on Sunday evening.