No. 16 State squanders game three with 4-3 loss to Missouri closing out regular season
Though Mississippi State has made a massive turnaround from a season ago, the Bulldogs have been battling themselves all season.
In most of the team’s losses this year, mental errors in the field, at the plate or on the bases have been a nemesis. It was an issue again for State on Saturday to close the season.
State left 12 runners on the bases against lowly Missouri along with two errors and missed out on a sweep against the Tigers in a 4-3 loss. In a game that might have locked in a hosting spot in the NCAA Tournament for State, it now adds more pressure to the mix.
Offensive opportunities were there all game long for State. The Bulldogs only had one inning without a base runner, but State struggled to break the game open. The Bulldogs left 12 on the bases and had two more erased on a double play and then a baserunning mistake.
“We didn’t do enough. We’ve got to do a better job and do enough,” coach Chris Lemonis said. “It’s SEC baseball. They’re all close. They’re all tight. It’s because the talent level is so high.”
State finished the game with 11 hits with Bryce Chance and Logan Kohler leading the way with three hits each. Joe Powell hit his fifth home run in the last five games to add to the total, but the Bulldogs missed chances throughout the day.
Dakota Jordan and Hunter Hines were two of the more important players the Bulldogs needed more from in the loss. State’s top two power hitters finished 0-for-10 with four strikeouts.
MSU got out to a 2-0 lead in the game with two runs in the second but would lose that lead in the fourth thanks to two errors, two hit batters and a walk tying the game. Gavin Black came in and put out the fire with a lineout and double play and things would reset.
Black threw 2.0 innings with just one hit and no runs but left the game after things went into a weather delay. The Bulldogs followed with three of its best pitchers in Nate Dohm, Tyson Hardin and Tyler Davis but Missouri would find a way to power through them.
After Powell broke the tie with his solo shot in the sixth, Missouri got a two-out base hit off of Hardin and then Jackson Lovich sent a pitch over the wall in center to give the Tigers their first lead of the game.
State was never able to get another run in the game and left two in scoring position in the eighth.
A win in the game would have made the Bulldogs feel much better about postseason baseball at Dudy Noble. At 36-19 and 17-13 in the SEC, it’s certainly been a year of beating the preseason expectations for State, but the Bulldogs have left plenty of games out there as well.
MSU earned the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament as the Bulldogs return to Hoover, Ala., for the first time since 2021 and will play Ole Miss in game one on Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m.
“We’re playing a lot of close games and honestly I think it’s going to make us better in the postseason,” Kohler said. “Every game has felt like the postseason so far. Just keep going and I think it will make us better in the long run.”
