How Mason Hull etched his name in Missouri State history with his game-winning homer in NCAA Tournament

STILLWATER, Okla. — Down four heading into the top of the ninth, Missouri State was three outs away from seeing its season come to an end but the Bears weren't worried.

As they've done all season long, they stayed calm and collected. They knew they were just a few swings away from accomplishing yet another improbable feat.

"We've been even-keeled the whole season," senior Mason Hull said. "It doesn't matter what the score is, we know what we're capable of. We've just been confident the whole season."

The inning before, Drake Baldwin hit a two-run home run to bring the game within four. Reliever Jake McMahill was excellent on the mound and was giving the explosive offense a chance.

Two-straight leadoff walks to begin the ninth led to Spencer Nivens hitting a three-run home run to bring it within one. Baldwin got on by error with Hull stepping up to the plate as the go-ahead run.

More: Missouri State baseball rallies in the ninth vs. Grand Canyon to stay alive in NCAA Tournament

"I just wanted to hit the ball hard," Hull said. "The guy on the mound was a heavy fastball guy and I just wanted to hit the ball hard."

On a 1-0 pitch with the season on the line, Hull roped a ball down the third-base line and it stayed just fair for the 8-7 lead and a hit that will never be forgotten as the Bears held on for the win.

"It's one of the reasons I came here," Hull said. "I came here to play in the postseason and it's so special."

Hull doesn't remember what was going through his head as he rounded the bases. The Missouri State faithful roared behind the first-base dugout while players exited and hugged while Baldwin and Hull crossed home plate.

Fortieth-year head coach Keith Guttin will certainly remember it and said it, along with the seven-run rally between the eighth and the ninth to come away with the win, will be remembered as some of the great moments in the program's history.

The hit will be remembered with the likes of Jeremy Eierman's walk-off home run to beat Oklahoma State in the opening round of the 2017 Fayetteville Regional, Matt Cepicky's game-tying home run in the 1999 Fayetteville Regional and Tony Piazza's mammoth home run in the 2003 Columbus Super Regional to help advance the Bears to the College World Series.

"It's right up there with them," Guttin said. "This is certainly up there with them with the deficit that we had to come back from."

The job wasn't done with the Bears needing three outs in the bottom of the ninth to send Grand Canyon home. Hull noticed McMahill was the one player who didn't get up to celebrate as the relief pitcher kept his seat trying to stay calm.

McMahill retired the first two before allowing a walk. He admitted to being nervous until pitching coach Paul Evans made his way out to the mound.

"He told me that he had a lot of confidence in me and I could feel it out there," McMahill said. "I could feel it."

On a 2-1 pitch, Grand Canyon's Jacob Wilson lifted a ball into deep left-center field. The ball fell just short of the warning track and fell into Nivens' glove.

"It's the same thing we've seen all year," Guttin said. "We had our ups-and-downs. We've had some great wins and we've had some tough losses. We've had a steady group with great player leadership."

Missouri State has now won at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of its last nine appearances. The Bears will play the loser of Saturday night's game between Oklahoma State and Arkansas at noon on Sunday.

Guttin wasn't sure who would pitch on Sunday but at the time, it didn't matter too much. The smiles on the players' faces after adding another chapter to the storied program's history was something that was going to take some time to soak in.

"We know what we're capable of," Hull said. "It doesn't matter who we're playing or what the score is. We're just going to keep doing us."

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Mason Hull makes Missouri State history with home run vs. Grand Canyon