TERRE HAUTE —
Entering Thursday’s game against Indiana State, Missouri State starting pitcher Nick Petree had gone 72 1/3 innings without surrendering an earned run, an unofficial NCAA record.
Petree’s streak against ISU lasted 1/3 of an inning … and the Sycamores didn’t stop hitting until they had their first Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship in 27 years.
ISU pounded 15 hits — 12 off Petree — and defeated Missouri State 6-3 at Bob Warn Field. Unlike 1985, the last time the Sycamores won the MVC, they have this title all to themselves. It is the first outright MVC championship in program history.
A groundout to second by Missouri State’s Spiker Helms clinched the victory in the ninth. First baseman Jon Hedges caught the final out and then ISU pitcher Dakota Bacus was mobbed in a celebratory dogpile at the mound.
“It’s hard to describe the feeling. We worked hard and we deserve it. Our thing is to work harder than the other team. That’s what we did,” said ISU catcher Jeremy Lucas, who was 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
Memories of 2009 — when ISU needed to win just one game against Missouri State and failed to do so — were erased straight away.
“We came out locked in. We have a great group of guys, great seniors and great leaders who aren’t seniors. We’re not done yet. We’ll keep working,” said senior Kyle Burnam, one of three Sycamores on that 2009 team still on the roster.
ISU’s 2009 swoon pales in comparison to coach Rick Heller’s 2009 memories. His program eliminated from underneath him at Northern Iowa in 2009. He was hired at ISU to replace Lindsay Meggs later that year, but given where Heller had come from, his first MVC regular season championship was extra special.
“To win this league, especially with the kind of season this league is having, is so hard,” said Heller, who won one MVC Tournament championship at UNI. “I had good teams at Northern Iowa that I felt were very competitive and they’d finish fourth. To finally have it come to fruition, it’s unbelievable.”
ISU (41-13, 14-5) used a patient approach against Petree, working counts and hitting to contact against Petree’s off-speed stuff. Landon Curry led off with a floater single to center field and went to second on a sacrifice. Jeremy Lucas then singled to left to score Curry and put ISU up 1-0.
The Sycamores were even more locked-in during the second inning. Ryan Walterhouse led off with a double to left. Walterhouse went to third and Koby Kraemer reached base on a bunt in which Petree couldn’t make a play.
Curry made the Bears pay two batters later as he hit a double over Missouri State left fielder Dylan Becker misjudged the ball and let it go over his head. Walterhouse and Kraemer scored on the Curry double to make it 3-0.
By the end of the third inning, every ISU batter save Rob Ort and Tyler Wampler (who had sacrificed in his at-bat) had reached base.
“He’s a great pitcher, but we were patient and had a good approach. I don’t think he had his best stuff, but we took advantage of his mistakes. The bats finally came alive,” Lucas said.
But the early work was undone by lack of execution and mistakes on ISU’s part. It started on the basepaths during ISU’s two-run second, when Curry tried to stretch a double into a triple and was easily thrown out. Kyle Burnam tripled on the next at-bat and would’ve scored Curry.
It continued into the third inning. After Eric Cheray led off with walk, Medrano hit a tailor-made double play grounder to second, but shortstop Wampler dropped the ball trying to step on second. All Bears were safe.
Two batters later, Missouri State (35-18, 11-7) made ISU pay. Brent Seifert’s two-run double chopped ISU’s lead to 3-2.
In the fourth, ISU starter Dakota Bacus struggled with his control and Becker drew a two-out walk. Cheray then doubled down the left field line to tie the game. Bacus threw 27 pitches in a punishing fourth.
The stalemate continued into the sixth inning. ISU continued to hit Petree, but stranded five runners in the fourth and fifth innings alone.
ISU loaded the bases again in the sixth with two outs and caught a break from Missouri State second baseman Medrano. Lucas Hileman hit a chopper to short that should have ended the inning, but Medrano didn’t cover second base. Shortstop Cheray had to hurry a throw to first, but Hileman beat it. Curry scored to make it 4-3.
Curry’s success at the plate was emblematic of ISU’s success at the dish against Petree. Curry was 2-for-3 and he drew two walks with two runs scored.
“Landon Curry was so big tonight. The tone he set was big. Our energy level overall was outstanding,” Heller said.
Meanwhile, Bacus worked out of his early trouble. Bacus threw 119 pitches, but allowed just four baserunners in the final five innings of work. Bacus struck out five overall.
Bacus pitched a complete game. He admitted it would’ve been hard for Heller to pull him off the mound to finish it.
“In the third and fourth, I let the strike zone get to me. Coach told me to just pound it out and I’d be fine,” Bacus said. “I told them around the sixth inning they’d have a hard time [taking] me out today. This is my game. There’s no way anyone else was going to get this but me. The feeling is so overwhelming right now.”
ISU added insurance runs in the eighth. Kyle Burnam doubled and was knocked in via a Lucas triple to right. Lucas scored on a passed ball by Missouri State catcher Luke Voit.
ISU no longer has to worry about the MVC championship, but the remaining games in the series have implications for ISU’s at-large chances should it fail to win next week’s MVC Tournament.
Sean Manaea (5-1, 3.09) will start for the Sycamores against Missouri State’s Cody Schumacher (7-1, 4.02) at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
n Lucas named Johnny Bench Award semifinalist — Lucas, ISU’s leading hitter at .365 — was named Thursday one of 12 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation’s best collegiate catcher.
Panelists will vote and finalists will be announced on June 4.
Sports
Related Photos
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We are the champions: The Indiana State baseball team celebrates winning the Missouri Valley Championship with a 6-3 win over Missouri State Thursday evening at Bob Warn Field. (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
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Hot: Indiana State's #1, Tyler Wampler fields a hard hit ball to his shortstop position during game action against the Missouri State Bears Thursday evening at Bob Warn Field.
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Stolen base: Indiana State's #7, Lucas Hileman steals second base during late inning action against Missouri State Thursday evening.
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Take one for the team: Indiana State's #30 Jon Hedges gets hit by a pitch to load the bases during late action against Missouri State Thursday evening.
Discussion
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