Anna 
Missouri State nearly pulled off a stunning comeback Tuesday night but came up just short in a 10–9 loss to in-state rival Missouri at Taylor Stadium.
The Bears (19–16) trailed by seven runs after the Tigers (13–23) erupted for a season-high seven-run second inning. But Missouri State chipped away at the deficit, beginning with an RBI single from Tyler Epstein in the fourth. The hit extended Epstein’s hitting streak to 11 games.
The Bears came alive in the fifth inning, scoring five runs. Caden Bogenpohl drove in one with a single, and Nick Rodriguez followed with a grand slam to cut the lead to 7–6. Bogenpohl’s hit pushed his on-base streak to 48 games, while Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to 22 games—the longest at MSU since 2010. Rodriguez has also recorded an extra-base hit in 14 straight games.
Curry Sutherland tied the game at 7–7 with a solo home run in the sixth. Meanwhile, Garrett Ferguson kept the Tigers off the board with two perfect innings in relief.
However, Missouri responded with three runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth to regain a 10–7 lead. Missouri State mounted one final push in the ninth. Bogenpohl hit a two-run homer to make it 10–9, and Jake McCutcheon tripled with two outs. But the game ended with McCutcheon stranded just 90 feet from home plate.
The Bears remain on the road this weekend for a three-game series against UIC. The opener is set for Friday at 6 p.m. in Chicago as Missouri State aims to stay atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
Related topics: