NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After rallying to take the lead with a three-run ninth, Missouri State yielded single runs to Belmont in the ninth and 10th frames in an 11-10 loss to the Bruins Friday at E.S. Rose Park.
Despite being held without a home run for just the ninth time this season, the Bears (19-30, 8-14 Missouri Valley Conference) knocked 14 hits against the Bruins (23-26, 10-12), with five different players collecting multiple hits in what was MSU’s school-record 34th true road game of the season.
The Bears scored three in the first and led 5-2 in the third, but Belmont scored its first nine runs in innings 2-5 to make it a battle of bullpens with neither starter seeing the fifth inning.
The Bruins took their first lead at 9-6 thanks to a three-run fifth that included two walks, two steals, two singles and a balk.
Missouri State chipped away with a Nick Rodriguez sac fly in the sixth to make it 9-7 before the ninth-inning rally.
Rodriguez opened the ninth with a leadoff double as part of a 3-for-5 game with three RBI, extending his reached base streak to 30 contests. Caden Bogenpohl walked, Dylan Leach had an RBI single, and Logan Chambers tied it with a double on an 0-2 pitch. Izzy Lopez drove home Leach with an RBI ground out for the 10-9 lead.
A leadoff walk in the ninth came back to bite the Bears with the help of a two-out error that sent the game to extras, and the Bruins strung together a single, error and single to win it in the 10th.
Zack Stewart collected three hits for the offense, while Taeg Gollert, Leach and Chambers had two each.
MSU used six pitchers on the night, with Jake Syverson, Eric Loomis and Dalen Stewart each throwing at least a scoreless inning to keep the Bears within striking distance. Of the five walks issued by the staff, four came around to score.
Game two of the series is set for 2 p.m. Saturday.
