COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mississippi State homered eight times in a 25-7 series-opening victory over University of Missouri baseball Thursday evening at Taylor Stadium. The Bulldogs built a 12-run lead, then closed the night with 13 unanswered runs over the final two innings to seal the outcome.
Hunter Hines homered twice in MSU’s 10-run ninth inning to tie Rafael Palmeiro’s 40-year-old Mississippi State home run record with the 66th and 67th round-trippers of his career. Hines was one of three Bulldogs to hit two home runs in the contest, as Reed Stallman came off the bench to homer in each of his first two at-bats, and Ace Reese also went deep twice as part of his 3-for-6, four-RBI performance.
The Bulldogs (32-20, 13-15) capitalized on a Mizzou (16-36, 3-25 SEC) defensive miscue with two out in the first, turning a one-run rally into a 3-0 lead. Stallman made it a four-run MSU lead with a two-out blast in the second, then launched a two-run clout in the fourth, an inning in which Joe Powell and Reese also delivered solo shots to extend the Bulldogs’ advantage to 8-0.
Keyed by Reese’s three-run homer in the sixth, Mississippi State stretched the margin to 12-0 before the Tigers kick-started their offense with a four-run rally of their own in the home half of the inning. Keegan Knutson drove in the first Mizzou run of the game with a run-scoring base hit through the left side of the infield, and Jackson Lovich cut the deficit to 12-4 with a towering three-run homer – his 12th of the season.
In the seventh, Mateo Serna followed Lovich’s lead, driving a long three-run blast over the wall in right-center to make it a five-run affair.
But the Bulldogs responded, scoring the game’s final 13 runs over the final two innings. MSU scratched out three runs in the eighth with the benefit of just two hits, then broke the game wide open with their 10-run outburst in the ninth. Noah Sullivan and Hines hit back-to-back homers to open the scoring, and Steven Spilatta delivered a two-run, pinch-hit triple to set up Hines’ record-tying homer – a two-run shot to right that capped the rally and handed MSU an 18-run lead.
Nate Williams worked the final three innings for Mississippi State to earn his first save of the season, bookending a strong starting effort by Pico Kohn with four strikeouts and just one hit allowed. Kohn tossed 4 1/3 shutout innings, giving up just a pair of Mizzou hits while fanning seven Tigers.
Eight Mizzou hurlers teamed up to match a season high with 14 strikeouts, as starter Brady Kehlenbrink (0-5) and Kaden Jacobi each fanned four over the first 5 1/3 frames.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- The Tigers saw their season-long three-game winning streak snapped.
- Missouri scored four runs in the sixth and three in the seventh, marking their fifth time this season tallying at least three runs in back-to-back innings.
- Knutson drove in a run for the third-straight game for the first time in his Division I career.
- Lovich has recorded at least three RBIs for the third time in his last four games and for the ninth time overall this season.
- Lovich extended his hitting streak to six games, while Knutson and Pierre Seals both extended their streaks to five-straight contests.
- Lovich homered for the 23rd time as a Tiger and for the fourth time in Mizzou’s last five games.
- With two hits and two walks, Isaiah Frost reached base safely four times for the first time in his collegiate career.
- Missouri struck out 14 batters – tied for its most in a game this season (also struck out 14 against Ole Miss on March 23).
- Overall, Mizzou struck out 10-plus batters for the 18th time this season, matching its season high by doing so in three-straight contests.
- Mississippi State improved to 14-7 all-time against the Tigers.
UP NEXT
The Tigers and Bulldogs continue their three-game set Friday with a 6 p.m. contest, before wrapping up regular-season play Saturday at 2 p.m.
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