Missouri State baseball tops Utah for first win of season
Wyatt D. Wheeler
After a disappointing loss in the season opener, the Bears were much better their second time around.
Missouri State (1-1) won its first game of the season with a 6-2 victory over Utah on Saturday afternoon in San Marcos, Texas.
The Bears jumped out to an early lead and were able to hang on afterward.
More:Missouri State baseball has Opening Day to forget after blowout loss to Nevada
MSU took its first lead of the season thanks to a sacrifice fly off the bat of star catcher Drew Millas. It helped John Privitera score from third in the first to put MSU up 1-0.
Millas, again, sacrificed himself in the third for another score. His ground out to the shortstop brought Privitera home in the third.
Newcomer Collin Clayton followed by scoring on a wild pitch to put MSU up 3-0.
Freshman pitcher Hayden Juenger made his first start as a Bear on Saturday.
Juenger finished the game pitching 3.1 innings while allowing two earned runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked three.
He allowed a run in the third and one in the fourth before being relieved by Davis Schwab.
Missouri State got a pair of insurance runs in the seventh.
Brooks Zimmerman drove in a run with a single. Joey Polak followed with one of his own to give MSU a four-run lead.
Schwab ended the game pitching a career-high 4.1 innings. He allowed three hits and no runs while striking out six before being replaced by Connor Sechler.
Sechler closed out the game to give the Bears their first win of the season.
Missouri State concludes its opening weekend on Sunday with a 3 p.m. matchup against Texas State in San Marcos. Alex Moore is expected to be the starting pitcher for the Bears.
Stats
Missouri State
- John Privitera - 3-3, 3R, 1(2B), 1BB
- Collin Clayton - 1-3, 1R
- Drew Millas - 1-3, 1R, 2RBI, 1(2B), 1BB
- Brooks Zimmerman - 3-4, 1RBI
- Joey Polak - 1-3, 1RBI, 1BB
- Jack Duffy - 1-4, 1RBI
- Ben Whetstone - 0-4
- Mason Hull - 1-4, 1R, 1(2B)
Missouri State pitching
- Hayden Juenger - 3.1IP, 5H, 2ER, 3BB, 2K, 18 BF
- Davis Schwab - W, 4.1IP, 1BB, 6K, 17BF
- Connor Sechler - 1.1IP, 2K, 5BF
Utah
- Dunn - 0-3, 2K
- Anderson - 0-4, RBI, 1K
- Moeller - 0-4, R, 2K
- Migueles - 2-4, 1RBI, 1(2B)
- Kramer - 0-4, 1K
- Kieman - 1-3, R, 1K
- Deveaux - 0-1, 1K
- Tom - 2-4, 2K
- Foscalina - 1-4
- Fenlund - 2-3
Utah pitching
- Pierce - L, 5IP, 5H, 3ER, 1BB, 1K, 20BF
- Rebar - 1IP, 4H, 3ER, 1BB, 8BF
- Liffrig - 3IP, 3H, 1K, 1BB, 11BF