DALLAS (Interstat) — Luke Pettitte launched two solo home runs and Dylan Cupp delivered a go-ahead, two-run single as part of a decisive fifth-inning rally, powering the Dallas Baptist Patriots to an 8-5 victory over the Missouri State Bears in a Conference USA matchup Sunday evening at Ellis Davis Field House.

The win secured a series split for the Patriots, who dropped the middle game on Saturday, and improved their season record to 16-12. Missouri State fell to 17-9.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the fifth inning, erasing what had been a comfortable Missouri State lead. The Bears, leveraging a three-run homer from Max Knight in the second and a two-run shot from Curry Sutherland in the third, held a 5-2 advantage entering the frame.

The Patriots’ comeback began immediately against new Bears reliever Trent Ash, as Pettitte led off the inning with his first homer of the day to right field, cutting the deficit to 5-3. After a strikeout, Ryan Martin was hit by a pitch and Cooper Neville singled, putting two runners on. A strikeout and a walk loaded the bases for Dylan Cupp with two outs. Facing Bears reliever Lance Wade, Cupp ripped a single up the middle, scoring both Martin and Neville to tie the game at 5.

Dallas Baptist seized the lead for good an inning later. Pettitte led off the sixth with his second homer, a blast to left-center, making it 6-5. Later in the inning, Dylan Schlaegel doubled home Neville, who had singled, to extend the lead to 7-5. Cupp added insurance in the seventh with a solo homer to left-center.

The Patriots’ bullpen combination of Michael Benzor and Athan Kroll silenced the Bears’ bats over the final four innings. After Benzor entered in the fifth and threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three, Kroll closed the door. He entered with two on and nobody out in the eighth and induced an inning-ending double play before working a perfect ninth, striking out three over two flawless frames.

Missouri State starter Jason Schaaf was effective early, tossing four no-hit innings, but was charged with two runs. The Bears’ offense managed only five hits total, with Knight’s three-run homer and Sutherland’s two-run shot accounting for all their scoring.

Pettitte, the designated hitter, finished 2 for 5 with the two crucial homers, rebounding from an 0-for-2 performance in Saturday’s loss. Cupp went 2 for 3 with the game-tying single and a later homer, driving in three. Schlaegel added three hits, including two doubles, and two RBIs for Dallas Baptist, which out-hit Missouri State 14-5.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast an 8-6 Missouri State victory, though the site’s ELO rating system gave Dallas Baptist a 68% probability to win.

Missouri State will host Arkansas on Tuesday. Dallas Baptist is scheduled to face Oklahoma State at home on Tuesday before embarking on a Conference USA road series at Kennesaw State next weekend.