EVANSVILLE, Ind. (Interstat) — Kris Hokenson slugged three home runs and drove in six runs Saturday, leading Murray State to a 12-5 victory over Evansville in a Missouri Valley Conference game at Charles H. Braun Stadium.

Hokenson, the Racers’ right fielder, finished 3 for 5 with a solo homer in the ninth inning, a two-run shot in the fifth and a three-run blast in the third. His outburst powered a Murray State offense that collected 15 hits and scored in five different innings.

The win pulled Murray State to 30-25 overall and 20-31 in the conference. Evansville fell to 20-31 and 20-31.

The game turned in the top of the third, when the Racers broke open what had been a 4-4 tie. After Evansville had scored four times in the bottom of the second to erase an early deficit, Murray State answered emphatically. Parker Airhart led off the third with a solo home run, and after a double by Colby Ott and a walk to Luke Mistone, Kainen Jorge doubled in Ott. Hokenson then launched a three-run homer to right field, scoring Jorge and Mistone. Conner Cunningham followed with a solo shot to left, giving the Racers an 8-4 lead.

Murray State kept the pressure on in the fifth, adding two more runs on a double by Daylan Pena that scored Mistone and Jorge. Hokenson then homered again, driving in Pena, to make it 11-4. The Racers added an unearned run in the seventh on an Anthony Perritano steal of second, a throwing error by Evansville catcher Spike Magill and a single by Airhart.

Murray State starter Reese Oakley was dominant after entering in the third inning in relief. Oakley pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and no walks while striking out three. He took over for Drew Deremer, who had been touched for four runs in two-plus innings. Oakley inherited a one-run lead in the third with the bases loaded and one out, but he induced a sacrifice fly from Ryan Seddon that tied the game at 4-4 before retiring the side. From there, he retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced, allowing only a walk and a hit batsman through the sixth.

Evansville’s best chance came in the second inning. After a scoreless first, the Purple Aces strung together five consecutive hits and took advantage of two Murray State errors to score four runs. Reagan Reeder doubled and scored on a single by Cooper Rhodes. Harrison Taubert singled, and Seddon drove in Rhodes with a base hit. A fielding error by center fielder Kainen Jorge allowed Taubert to score, and a groundout by Magill brought home Seddon, giving Evansville a 4-0 lead. But the Racers answered immediately.

Murray State had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a single by Connor Chisolm and a single by Mistone, but a double play ended the threat. The Racers loaded the bases again in the third and then exploded.

Hokenson’s performance capped a strong series for the Racers, who won two of three against Evansville. Hokenson had homered in Friday’s 15-10 victory and singled in Thursday’s 10-6 loss.

For Evansville, Parker MacCauley pitched four innings of relief, allowing three hits and one earned run with two strikeouts. Seddon drove in two runs, and Magill had an RBI. Reeder scored twice and stole a base.

The game began at 2 p.m. and ended under the lights, with the final out coming on a groundout by Reid Haire in the bottom of the ninth.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Evansville 4, Murray State 3, while Interstat’s ELO system had given Murray State a 59.90 percent probability to win.