SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State topped visiting Missouri 11-0 Tuesday evening in front of 3,581 fans at Hammons Field for the Bears' second-largest margin of victory and third shutout win in series history.
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Max Knight's two-run homer in the seventh gave MoState the run-rule win, and the sophomore southpaw was also the winning pitcher with two scoreless innings on the mound in the Bears' first shutout victory of the season.
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The Bears (21-18) struck early and often, beginning with
Carter Bergman's RBI double and an RBI ground out from
Zack Stewart in the second inning.
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Nick Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to 26 games and
Taeg Gollert hit a sac fly to make in 4-0 in the third, and MoState scored on a double play before
Caden Bogenpohl launched a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 7-0.
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Then in the seventh, Rodriguez led off with his 100
th career walk,
Jake McCutcheon singled, both scored on a Gollert triple before Knight ended the game early with a drive into the left field bullpen, his 12
th round-tripper of the season.
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Gollert reached three times and drove in three runs, Bogenpohl went 3-for-4, while McCutcheon and Knight also tallied multi-hit games.
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Five pitchers combined for the three-hit shutout, with
Tyler Charlton (1.0), Knight (2.0),
Jake Syverson (1.2),
Brody McNiel (0.1) and
Garrett Ferguson (2.0) putting together MSU's first shutout of a Southeastern Conference opponent since beating Arkansas 2-0 on March 31, 2025.
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The first-place Bears return to Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend with a home series against Evansville. Game times are 6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets to home baseball games can be purchased
here, and MSU students are admitted free.
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