The Bulldog Box Score and More: Dogs Disappointed by Upset Loss to Missouri

When the final out was recorded at Dudy Noble Field on Friday night, a light show began to take place in the Starkville skies beyond the right-field wall as part of Mississippi State's Friday night fireworks promotion. But while fireworks are typically used to celebrate, there was no joy for those wearing maroon as MSU had just fallen in upset fashion to Missouri.

The No. 3 Bulldogs were on the short end of a 7-6 score to the Tigers, evening up this weekend's three-game set. It was a disappointing defeat for State head coach Chris Lemonis and his Bulldogs.

“Frustrating. Real frustrating," Lemonis said. "I didn’t think we were great [Thursday] night, and we weren’t great [Friday]. You’ve got to tip your hat to Missouri, they had some big hits and made some big plays and they won the ball game, but man, I’m disappointed in the way we played [and] mental mistakes that we made. Just very frustrating.”

(TO WATCH LEMONIS' FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE, CLICK HERE)

All the frustration came to a head in the ninth inning. With the game tied 6-6, Missouri put runners at second and third with one out. MSU played the infield in, looking to cut down the go-ahead run at the plate if given the chance. 

It looked as though that plan would work. Missouri's Joshua Day grounded a ball towards third, however MSU's Kamren James couldn't field it cleanly. Andrew Keefer raced home with the game's decisive run. In the home half of the ninth, State couldn't mount a rally of its own. The Bulldogs were retired in order, putting a lid on a maddening evening that severely damaged MSU's Southeastern Conference championship hopes. By dropping Friday's contest, Mississippi State fell a game and a half behind league-leading Arkansas – two games back in the loss column.

"This is probably the [loss] that hurt the most this year because we know what's at stake," State right fielder Tanner Allen said.

Making the loss hurt all the more was that MSU carried a 5-3 lead after five innings. After falling behind 2-0 early, State put up a four spot in the third inning with the big blow coming on a two-run triple from Allen. The Bulldogs added another run an inning later on a Rowdey Jordan RBI triple.

Missouri got one back in the fifth off of State starter Will Bednar. Bednar wasn't at all dominant on Friday as he surrendered three runs (two earned) over five innings, but he did leave after the fifth sporting a 5-3 lead.

When Bednar departed though, things went south for State. Cam Tullar took over on the mound for MSU and let a couple of Tigers reach base on a single and a hit-by-pitch. Parker Stinnett would later relieve Tullar, but both of those inherited runners, along with another, came around to score and Missouri suddenly had a 6-5 lead.

State did tie things in the home half of the frame on a towering, majestic home run off the bat of Kellum Clark. But then Missouri scraped across the game-winning run in the ninth off of MSU's Stone Simmons.

Just like that, despite having the SEC's worst record, the Tigers got one over on the Bulldogs Friday. MSU will attempt to rebound in a 1 p.m. central rubber game of the series on Saturday. 

"We've got to come out and play better baseball," Allen said. "It's aggravating." 

Alright, let's take a quick look at Friday night's numbers, game MVPs and the Moment of the Game:

Missouri at Mississippi State box score

MSU Offensive MVP: RF Tanner Allen

Allen remains one of the hottest hitters in the country. The State right fielder had three more hits on Friday, including a two-run triple in the third inning that tied the game after MSU had fallen behind 2-0. Even on a night that didn't end well for State, at least the Bulldogs could take some solace in Allen's continued offensive success. Allen is now on an 11-game hitting streak that has seen his batting average climb from an already-good .336 to a robust .383. To hear from Allen and get his full thoughts on Friday's loss, check out his full postgame press conference with the video at the top of this page.

MSU Pitching MVP: SP Will Bednar

There was no obvious pitching standout for Mississippi State on Friday, but Bednar – despite some struggles – earns the nod here. He did allow three runs (two earned) and seven hits over five innings, but he departed the game with a 5-3 lead and had given the Bulldogs a chance to win. Unfortunately for MSU, the bullpen couldn't hold on.

Moment of the Game: Tigers tally the winning run

In a tie game in the ninth, it was the swing that put Missouri ahead for good. Day stepped to the plate with runners at second and third and only one out. His ground ball to third wasn't handled cleanly by James and Keefer came home with what proved to be the game's decisive run. Here's a look at the critical play:

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