Missouri State erased an early two-run deficit to stay perfect in NCAA Championship play with a 5-3 victory over Iowa Saturday evening at Hammons Field.
Matt Hall struck out 11 Hawkeyes and scattered seven hits over 8.0 innings to notch his 11th victory of the season. MSU erased a 2-0 UI lead on Blake Graham’s two-run single in the fourth, then scored three times in the fifth to claim the lead for good.
The top-seeded Bears (47-10) equaled the longest winning streak in the 52-year history of the program, claiming their 18th straight victory and a school-record-tying 47th overall win in 2015. With the decision over the Hawkeyes, MSU improved to 2-0 at the Springfield Regional following a 14-1 win over Canisius in its first game Saturday.
Missouri State advances to play the winner of Sunday’s (May 31) elimination contest pitting Iowa (40-17) against third-seeded Oregon (38-24), which is slated to begin at 2:05 p.m. A victory for MSU in the 7:05 p.m game Sunday would advance the Bears to their first Super Regional since 2003, while a loss would force a winner-take-all deciding game for the Springfield Regional Monday (June 1) at 1:05 p.m.
Story courtesy MSU Athletics
