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LAWRENCE, KS — The Missouri State baseball season ended with a thud.
The Bears went 0-2 at the Lawrence Regional and were eliminated by Northeastern on Saturday, May 30. The Huskies used three pitchers in a 5-1 victory that booked their spot in another do-or-die game on Sunday.
For Missouri State, this was a disappointing weekend that started with plenty of optimism. The Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Arkansas in their regional opener, but the Razorbacks rallied for a 9-5 win that sent Missouri State to the losers bracket.
Here are three takeaways from the season-ending loss.
Northeastern's starting pitcher only needed 91 pitches to get through seven innings. The Bears were scoreless until back-to-back doubles from Jax Ryan and Carter Bergman in the bottom of the seventh, but O'Connor quickly got the final out of the inning to strand Bergman at second.
That was the first time since the second inning that Missouri State got a runner into scoring position. O'Connor pitched to contact without overpowering stuff. He only recorded three strikeouts, but he had the Bears' bats flummoxed throughout the afternoon.
Northeastern used relievers Andrew Rogovic and Andrew Wertz to record the final six outs. Those two arms allowed one hit, and the Huskies didn't issue a single walk on the afternoon.
For a while, it looked like Missouri State would match the Huskies' brilliance on the mound. Jason Schaaf recorded four consecutive scoreless innings after giving up a run in the top of the first.
But Schaaf had some slippage in the top of the sixth. Northeastern began the inning with back-to-back doubles from AJ Aschettino and Charlie Criscola. That scored one run, and Carmelo Musacchia delivered the big blow with a two-run homer over the wall in left field.
Schaaf was promptly removed with no outs in the frame, but the damage was done. Northeastern created separation on the scoreboard with a 4-0 lead.
The first four hitters in the Bears' batting order combined to go 1 for 12 with four strikeouts.
Part of it was O'Connor's dominance, but with the season on the line, Missouri State didn't get enough performances from its best players.
The Bears entered the regional with one of the most fearsome offenses in the bracket. They finished the weekend with four runs and zero homers across the final 17 innings of its season.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State baseball season closes with regional loss to Northeastern
Continue reading...
The Bears went 0-2 at the Lawrence Regional and were eliminated by Northeastern on Saturday, May 30. The Huskies used three pitchers in a 5-1 victory that booked their spot in another do-or-die game on Sunday.
For Missouri State, this was a disappointing weekend that started with plenty of optimism. The Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Arkansas in their regional opener, but the Razorbacks rallied for a 9-5 win that sent Missouri State to the losers bracket.
Here are three takeaways from the season-ending loss.
Robbie O'Connor shuts down Missouri State
Northeastern's starting pitcher only needed 91 pitches to get through seven innings. The Bears were scoreless until back-to-back doubles from Jax Ryan and Carter Bergman in the bottom of the seventh, but O'Connor quickly got the final out of the inning to strand Bergman at second.
That was the first time since the second inning that Missouri State got a runner into scoring position. O'Connor pitched to contact without overpowering stuff. He only recorded three strikeouts, but he had the Bears' bats flummoxed throughout the afternoon.
Northeastern used relievers Andrew Rogovic and Andrew Wertz to record the final six outs. Those two arms allowed one hit, and the Huskies didn't issue a single walk on the afternoon.
Northeastern breaks through in the sixth
For a while, it looked like Missouri State would match the Huskies' brilliance on the mound. Jason Schaaf recorded four consecutive scoreless innings after giving up a run in the top of the first.
But Schaaf had some slippage in the top of the sixth. Northeastern began the inning with back-to-back doubles from AJ Aschettino and Charlie Criscola. That scored one run, and Carmelo Musacchia delivered the big blow with a two-run homer over the wall in left field.
Schaaf was promptly removed with no outs in the frame, but the damage was done. Northeastern created separation on the scoreboard with a 4-0 lead.
Not enough production from top of the lineup
The first four hitters in the Bears' batting order combined to go 1 for 12 with four strikeouts.
Part of it was O'Connor's dominance, but with the season on the line, Missouri State didn't get enough performances from its best players.
The Bears entered the regional with one of the most fearsome offenses in the bracket. They finished the weekend with four runs and zero homers across the final 17 innings of its season.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State baseball season closes with regional loss to Northeastern
Continue reading...
