SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State topped visiting Missouri 11-0 Tuesday evening in front of 3,581 fans at Hammons Field for the Bears’ second-largest margin of victory and third shutout win in series history.
Max Knight’s two-run homer in the seventh gave MoState the run-rule win, and the sophomore southpaw was also the winning pitcher with two scoreless innings on the mound in the Bears’ first shutout victory of the season.
The Bears (21-18) struck early and often, beginning with Carter Bergman’s RBI double and an RBI ground out from Zack Stewart in the second inning.
Nick Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to 26 games and Taeg Gollert hit a sac fly to make in 4-0 in the third, and MoState scored on a double play before Caden Bogenpohl launched a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 7-0.
Then in the seventh, Rodriguez led off with his 100th career walk, Jake McCutcheon singled, both scored on a Gollert triple before Knight ended the game early with a drive into the left field bullpen, his 12th round-tripper of the season.
Gollert reached three times and drove in three runs, Bogenpohl went 3-for-4, while McCutcheon and Knight also tallied multi-hit games.
Five pitchers combined for the three-hit shutout, with Tyler Charlton (1.0), Knight (2.0), Jake Syverson (1.2), Brody McNiel (0.1) and Garrett Ferguson (2.0) putting together MSU’s first shutout of a Southeastern Conference opponent since beating Arkansas 2-0 on March 31, 2025.
The first-place Bears return to Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend with a home series against Evansville. Game times are 6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets to home baseball games can be purchased here, and MSU students are admitted free.
