STARKVILLE, Miss. – Missouri State sent eight batters to the plate in the ninth inning and ended the game with the tying run on first base Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field, finishing just shy of the comeback in a 6-4 loss at 18th-ranked Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs (6-1) hit leadoff home runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings, adding a two-run shot in the sixth and RBI single in the fifth to complete their scoring output, while the pitching staff was solid through eight frames.
The Bears (2-4) scored in the second inning on Caden Bogenpohl’s RBI walk, but MoState remained hitless until the ninth inning as the Bulldogs retired the next 13 Missouri State batters and made several exceptional defensive plays.
Missouri State still had its chances, drawing eight walks and getting hit by two pitches to keep traffic on the bases.
Two of those walks came in the ninth inning to set up William Zareh’s first career home run, a three-run blast that cut the deficit to 6-4. Tyler Epstein followed with a single and Bogenpohl walked before Mississippi State reliever Chase Hungate recorded the final two outs for the save, one of which was a Taeg Gollert fly out to deep left center.
Tyler Charlton (1-1) went three innings and struck out six in the start for MoState, while five relievers followed. Of those, Jake Syverson, Gabe Smith and Sam Maclaughlin all had scoreless appearances.
The Bears conclude their seven-game road trip Tuesday with a 3 p.m. game at Oral Roberts before hosting ULM at Hammons Field over the weekend. First pitch of the Friday, Feb. 28 series opener with the Warhawks is set for 3 p.m.
