THE RUNDOWN
In one of the wildest games of the college baseball season, No. 21 DBU scored a season-high 17 runs and survived two valiant comebacks from Missouri State to claim a 17-16 win over the Bears on Saturday at Horner Ballpark. The victory gives the Patriots the series win over Missouri State and hands DBU (20-10, 2-0) their 20th win of the season.

The Patriots were led by Jace Grady who homered twice, including a grand slam, and drove in seven runs, along with a four-hit day from Ryan Wrobleski. Brady Rose earned his first carer win after working 2.1 shutout innings in relief and Chandler Arnold notched his eighth save.

DBU wasted little time jumping on the board, striking for three runs in the first as Wrobleski delivered the first of his career-high three doubles to left field to plate two runs and Luke Heefner drew a bases loaded walk to put the Patriots on top, 3-0.

Missouri State (14-12, 0-2) responded with two runs in their half of the second before Andrew Benefield crushed his sixth home run of the year over the wall in left to extend DBU's lead to 4-2.

After the Bears added another run in the third, the Patriot offense erupted for six runs in their half of the third to go up 10-3. DBU walked seven times in the inning and a grand slam from Grady proved to be the crushing blow in the third.

On a day in which Missouri State would refuse to go away quietly, the Bears responded with a seven-run fourth inning, scoring all seven runs with two outs.  A three-run double by Jaden Rolffs cut the DBU lead to one and an RBI single from Drew Townsend tied the game at 10 apiece.

In the bottom half of the fourth, DBU answered the call with a three-run inning of their own as Jace Grady blasted a three-run homer that cleared the wall in left-center, giving him his second career two home run game.

The Patriots would tack on two more runs in both the firfh and sixth innings to extend their lead to 17-10 before MSU would mount their second comeback of the day.  Trailing 17-10 in the top of the seventh, the Bears batted through the order and Jaden Rolffs delivered his second bases clearing double to score three runs and bring MSU back to within one run of the Patriots.

Clinging to a one run lead in the top of the eighth, Kyle Amendt inherited a first and second jam with nobody out and preceded to strike out Drake Baldwin, Dakota Kotowski, and induced fly out to center off the bat of Mason Hull to squash the Bears' threat.

In the ninth, Chandler Arnold came out of the pen for the second straight day and was able to work out of a first and third situation to strike out Spencer Nivens to end the game.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Since joining The Valley in 2014, 14 of the 29 games between the Patriots and Bears have been decided by one-run. DBU is 10-4 in those games.
- With the win, the Patriots have now won six of their eight weekend series.
- Chandler Arnold is a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities this year.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3 - Ryan Wrobleski becomes the first Patriot to have three doubles in a game since Austin Bell accomplished the feat on March 24, 2019, at Air Force.
13 - DBU drew a season-high 13 walks and were just one shy of matching a program record 14 walks that was set against UT San Antonio on February 23, 2014.
8 - With his eighth save of the year, Chandler Arnold ties Stuart Pudenz (2012) for the seventh-most saves in a single-season in DBU's Division I era dating back to 2004.


 
UP NEXT
DBU faces Missouri State in the series finale on Sunday at Horner Ballpark.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

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