Eight-Run Inning Powers Baseball Bears Past Racers in Opener

MURRAY, Ky. – Missouri State scored eight runs in the fourth inning of Friday’s Missouri Valley Conference series opener at Murray State, extending their overall win streak to nine games and conference streak to 13, the program’s longest in both categories since 2017.

After Murray (25-22, 10-9) scored on a balk in the opening frame, the Bears (28-16, 15-4) took the lead on Cam Cratic’s two-run homer in the second, his sixth of the season, then erupted for their second-highest scoring inning of the year two frames later.

Mason Hull was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth, Zack Stewart followed with his MVC-leading 16th double of the season, Cody Kelly hit a sac fly and the floodgates opened after that, beginning with a Cratic RBI single as part of his 3-for-5 effort.

Then with two out, Dylan Robertson smacked a two-run double off the center field wall, Nick Rodriguez knocked an RBI single and Mason Hull capped it with a three-run blast, his seventh of the season, for a 10-1 lead.

The Racers scored in each inning from the fourth through seventh, closing it to 12-6 at that point as Taeg Gollert doubled and scored in the fifth and then had an RBI single in the sixth in the interim as he reached safely four times and scored a career-high three runs.

Cratic singled home his fourth RBI to tie a career high in the eighth, and Trey Ziegenbein entered with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom half and struck out the side to preserve the 13-6 margin.

Stewart finished 4-for-6 to collect his first career four-hit game. Brandt Thompson (6-3) went five innings in the start to earn the mound victory.

With rain in the forecast Sunday, the Bears and Racers will conclude the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.

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