“Our pitchers threw strikes but didn’t execute pitches,” head coach Kerrick Jackson said after the game. “When you have days like this here, that’s how it is — and unfortunately, we didn’t take advantage of it on our end.”
After suffering a nearly 20-run loss the day before, the Missouri Tigers (16-37, 3-26) didn’t fare much better Friday, falling 13-3 in seven innings to Mississippi State. The loss clinched a series defeat and ensured Missouri will finish with the worst SEC record in conference history — even with a win in Saturday’s finale.
With head coach Kerrick Jackson looking to preserve his usual Saturday and Sunday starters — Sam Horn and Wil Libbert — for the upcoming SEC Tournament, the Tigers turned to junior Tony Neubeck for Friday’s start.
But the plan didn’t go as hoped.
After a sacrifice fly and an RBI single plated the first two runs for Mississippi State, the Bulldogs launched their ninth home run of the series to cap off a big first inning. The momentum carried into the second, where they added three more unearned runs — two of them coming on yet another homer — extending the lead to 8-0 and ending Tony Neubeck’s day after just two innings.
Tony Neubeck’s final line: 2 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 51-33 (TP-S)
The Tigers got on the board in the bottom of the third with a two-run double from Cayden Nicoletto, but the Bulldogs answered immediately. A solo home run off new Mizzou pitcher Brock Lucas pushed the lead to 9-2.
Mizzou answered with a run of its own in the bottom half, as Jedier Hernandez delivered an RBI single on a hit-and-run, scoring Keegan Knutson from second. But it wasn’t nearly enough to close the gap.
The Bulldogs tacked on three more runs in the top of the sixth, courtesy of Hunter Hines, who launched a home run to become Mississippi State’s all-time leader with 68 career homers. The blast extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 12-3 over the Tigers.
To start the seventh inning, head coach Kerrick Jackson made a surprising move by bringing Wil Libbert out of the bullpen — just a day after saying in his postgame press conference that neither Libbert nor Sam Horn would pitch this weekend.
Libbert allowed a run on a sacrifice fly, pushing the Bulldogs’ lead to 10 and putting the game into run-rule territory. The Tigers had a chance to extend the game in the bottom half but stranded two runners, resulting in a 13-3 loss in seven innings.
This looked like a completely different version of Tony Neubeck compared to the one the Tigers saw last weekend against Texas A&M. Coming in for Sam Horn after a weather delay, Neubeck threw 3.1 innings of one-hit baseball, walking one and striking out four. It marked just his second outing all season allowing fewer than two runs — the other coming in a start against Florida during the second game of a doubleheader.
Through the first two games of the series, Mizzou pitchers have allowed 38 runs on 35 hits — 12 of which have been home runs.
Only two Mizzou players reached base more than once: Tyler Macon and Jedier Hernandez. Macon recorded the team’s only multi-hit game, finishing with two hits, while Hernandez added a hit and a walk.
Tony Neubeck (1-5) took the loss for the Tigers, while Mississippi State’s Ben Davis (3-2) earned the win.
The Tigers will close out both their series and regular season Saturday at 2 p.m. at Taylor Stadium against Mississippi State. Senior Day ceremonies will take place prior to first pitch.