VALPARAISO, Ind. (Interstat) — Ryan Karst and two relievers combined on a two-hitter, and Colin Sander drove in five runs, including a three-run homer in a seven-run ninth inning, as the Indiana State Sycamores routed the Valparaiso Beacons 10-1 in Missouri Valley Conference baseball Monday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, was dominated by Indiana State pitching. Karst, the top star for the Sycamores, set the tone with a brilliant start. The right-hander did not allow a hit over 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one. He faced just one batter over the minimum, with Valparaiso’s only baserunner against him, Eli Riley, erased on a double play in the third inning.

Karst’s performance built on his recent strong outings, including a scoreless relief inning in a win over Illinois on March 18. He was relieved by Colby Morse with one out in the sixth after hitting a batter. Morse finished the game, allowing one unearned run on one hit over the final 3 2/3 innings, striking out four.

The Sycamores’ offense provided ample support, racking up 15 hits. They broke through in the second inning when Nick Sutherlin singled, stole second and scored on Sander’s RBI double. They added single runs in the third on an Emil Estrella RBI single and in the fourth on a solo home run by Mason Roell.

Indiana State led 4-0 entering the ninth before breaking the game open. The inning featured a balk that forced in a run, an RBI double by Sutherlin, and the decisive blow from Sander, who launched a three-run homer to center field off reliever Hunter Frost. Sander finished 2 for 3 with the homer, a double, a sacrifice fly and five RBIs.

The most important part of the game was Karst’s dominant start, which completely stifled any early momentum for Valparaiso and allowed Indiana State to build a lead comfortably. The Beacons, who managed only two singles, did not get a runner past second base until the ninth inning. Their lone run came in the final frame when Brayd Pleau walked, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI single by Geo Betevis, preventing the shutout.

Valparaiso starter Nick Baffa took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits over four innings. The Beacons used five pitchers, with Christian Hack providing 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

With the win, Indiana State improved to 13-14 overall and evened its conference series after dropping the previous game to Valparaiso 10-1 on Sunday. The Sycamores had won the series opener 18-2 on Saturday. Valparaiso fell to 7-16.

The victory defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 5-1 Indiana State win, though it aligned with the system’s ELO rating that gave the Sycamores a 78.3% probability to win.

Indiana State next hosts Purdue on Tuesday. Valparaiso travels to face Northwestern on Tuesday.