Gamecocks spoil Bears Senior Day; clinch critical series
SPRINGFIELD–The Missouri State baseball program honored 11 upperclassmen as part of Senior Day celebrations, but the emotional high from the pregame festivities didn’t help them win their rubbermatch with Jacksonville State, on Sunday. For the second straight game, the Bears pitching staff surrendered double-digit runs, as MO State lost, 11-4 to Jax State to drop their first series at home, this spring. A 4-run outburst by the Gamecocks in the top of the 2nd gave them a lead they’d never relinquish, which was highlighted by a 3-run home run to Sam Richardson.
While Caden Bogenpohl clubbed a solo hom run in the bottom of the second, which helped the Bears close the gap to 4-2, it was a game of catchup MSU never could win. The Gamecocks would end up tallying seven more runs between the 4th and 8th innings, while the Bears managed just two. After the team’s seventh loss in its last eight games, Head Coach Joey Hawkins gave a blunt answer when asked about his team’s tailspin.
“Yeah, not great, uninspiring, just chasing ourselves all game,” said Coach Hawkins. “That’s a really hard brand to play. Obviously, I’ll take ownership, but we have to take ownership up and down the coaching staff, and the roster.
If it’s a team effort when you win, it better be when you lose and we gotta look ourselves in the mirror right now because the effort isn’t great. ” Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
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