Box Score Joplin, Mo. –- Minnesota State junior right fielder Jackson Hauge went 4-for-5 from the plate with two homeruns and six RBI as Minnesota State picked up a 13-2 victory over #10 Missouri Southern in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Hauge's six runs batted in pushed his season total to 75, establishing a new single-season record surpassing Jordan Hart's 72 RBI in 2019.
 
Junior lefthander Nathan Culley worked six innings to pick up his ninth win of the season against three losses.  He allowed two runs on five hits while striking out ten.  The ten strikeouts match his season-high for a third time this season.
 
Missouri Southern struck first however in the top of the third as Chayton Beck drew a leadoff walk.  A wild pitch moved Beck to second before a single moved him to third.  Beck plated the game's first run when Ethan Clark reached on an error.  Culley then worked out of the jam with a flyout to deep right.
 
The Lion lead didn't last long however has shortstop Aidan Byrne singled through the left side to start the Maverick third.  Byrne came around to score giving the Mavericks a 2-1 lead when Hauge blasted his 15^th home run of the season.
 
Centerfielder Ryan Wickman followed Hauge's homer with a single to left before moving to second on a groundout, which chased Missouri Southern pitcher Cole Gayman. 
 
Lion reliever Kyle Moore would pick up a strikeout before issuing back-to-back walks to load the bases for first baseman Adam Schneider who laced a single through the right side, plating Wickman and leftfielder Adam Weed – who drew the first walk of the inning – pushing the Maverick advantage to 4-1.
 
The Mavericks made it 5-1 when they executed a double steal with Schneider and Baker, with Baker swiping home.  Moore recorded a strikeout to stop the bleeding as Minnesota State took a 5-1 lead into the fourth.
 
Third baseman Mikey Gottschalk lead off the bottom of the fifth with a single and moved to second when designated hitter Louis Magers placed a sacrifice bunt right in front of the plate.
 
Weed then roped a single to center, plating Gottschalk, and extending the Maverick lead to 6-1.  Baker then singled to left putting runners on first and second for Schneider. 
 
Schneider followed Baker's single by lacing a double to right, scoring Weed and advancing runners to second and third, prompting a Missouri Southern pitching change. 
 
Second baseman Matt Fleischhacker drew a walk to load the bases for Byrne.  Byrne would reach on an infield single which plated Baker.
 
Hauge then hit his second home run of the game to left center to empty the bases and push the Maverick lead to 11-1.
 
Missouri Southern added a run in the top of the seventh as Doherty homered to left. Beck then walked – prompting the Mavericks to make a pitching change.  After Nate Mieszkowski drew a walk, redshirt sophomore reliever Spencer Wright picked up a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to limit the damage.
 
The Mavericks added two in the bottom of the seventh as Fleischhacker drew a one-out walk and moved to second when Byrne singled to left.  Both runners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch before Fleischhacker scored on a single off Hauge's bat – his fourth and final hit of the day.
 
Wickman followed Hauge with a single to the left-center gap, driving in Byrne and putting a lid on the Maverick scoring for the day. 
 
Wright worked three innings of relief, facing ten batters, walking one and striking out six while not issuing a hit.
 
Minnesota State (41-15) now awaits the winner of the two elimination games on the schedule for this afternoon and this evening.  Arkansas Tech and Southern Arkansas face off in the first elimination game with the winner of that game taking on Missouri Southern this evening.