While the sound of cowbells rained down from the stands of Dudy Noble Field and smoke poured over the fence from Mississippi State’s famous “Left Field Lounge,” the Missouri baseball team continued a trend that has become all too familiar this season.
The Tigers (24–23, 7–15 SEC) fell to No. 4 Mississippi State (30–14–1, 12–9 SEC) 8–2 on Thursday night. The Tigers have won only one series opener against a Southeastern Conference opponent this season.
Surprisingly, Missouri was the first team to score in what would become an massacre as the game wore on.
In the second inning, senior first baseman Zach Lavy singled off of projected first-rounder Dakota Hudson. He then advanced to third on sophomore catcher Brett Bond’s single and was brought home during a ground out by freshman designated hitter Brian Sharp.
But Lavy’s run would be Missouri’s lone run off the junior right-hander. Johnson pitched 8.1 innings, striking out 11 Tigers on 104 pitches.
Hudson’s dominance on the mound, combined with a 19-hit bombardment by the Bulldog batters, made for an easy Mississippi State win.
The Bulldogs crushed redshirt senior Reggie McClain, tagging the right-hander for 15 hits and seven earned runs. It was McClain’s worst outing of the season.
A major piece of the Bulldog attack was junior first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Lowe crushed a home run as part of a five-hit beatdown of the Missouri pitchers. He finished the game with three RBIs.
While Missouri scored one run in the ninth inning, the Tigers never mounted a serious threat to the Bulldog lead.
The Tigers will look for revenge at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Dudy Noble Field. The game can be watched on ESPNU and heard on KTGR.
_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_