Ben Carlson hit a pair of three-run homers as the Bears rack up 13 hits in a 12-5 Missouri Valley Conference defeat of Evansville Sunday afternoon at Hammons Field.
Missouri State improved to 22-11 overall and 8-4 at the midway point of the league schedule after sweeping the Purple Aces.
Evansville turned a leadoff walk into a run in the first with Andy Pascoe’s two-out RBI single, and the Bears returned the favor in the bottom half when Brayden Drake singled home Chris Playter with two outs. Carlson followed that hit with a double and Christian Overstreet continued the two-out rally with a two-run single for a 3-1 lead.
Missouri State regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a five-run outburst. Carlson added a three-run homer for a 9-5 lead.
Carlson struck again in the sixth, slugging another three-run home run to right. That was his 10th of the season, which marked his second multiple-homer game of the year and gave him a career-high six RBIs. He finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs and 10 total bases.
The Bears begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday at Arkansas-Little Rock. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.