Mizzou baseball completes a comeback for a win in the season finale
STARKVILLE, Miss. (KMIZ)
Despite an up and down season, the Mizzou baseball team did end 2024 on a high note with a 4-3 comeback win against No. 16 Mississippi State, on Saturday.
Jackson Lovich's two-run home run in the seventh inning and a commanding relief effort from St. Elizabeth alum Brock Lucas helped MU to the season-ending win. The victory also kept the Bulldogs from completing a sweep.
The Tigers had to battle back in Saturday's game. Mississippi State took an early 2-0 lead, but Mizzou battled back from that deficit in the fourth inning. Mateo Serna reached on a fielding error by the Bulldogs, which also brought a run home to make it a one-run deficit. Then, in the same inning, Drew Culbertson laid down his first hit of the series with an RBI single to left field to tie up the game at two runs apiece.
Mississippi State snatched the lead right back in the sixth inning with a solo home run from Joe Powell, but Mizzou could not be denied.
In the seventh inning, Lovich lifted up a two-run homer to center field, just moments after Helias alum Trevor Austin kept the inning alive with a base hit. The 4-3 advantage was MU's first lead of the day and it turned out to be enough.
Saturday marked the end of Austin's career at Mizzou. The Jefferson City native went 2-for-4 at the dish and registered career hits No. 164 and 165 in the victory.
Lucas ended his sophomore campaign with a clutch outing. He closed the door on the Bulldogs, despite coming in in a two-one, one-out situation in the home half of the eighth inning. He got out of that jam by forcing a fly ball for the second out of the inning and striking out Dakota Jordan to end the threat altogether.
In the ninth inning, the St. Elizabeth alum struck out in the side in a 1-2-3 frame. Lucas tallied his second save of the season on Sunday. He struck out four of the five batters he faced in a perfect 1 2/3 innings of work.
Logan Lunceford earned the win on the hill, in relief. He allowed just one run on six hits, while fanning two Bulldog batters in 4.1 innings of action.
Up next - skipper Kerrick Jackson and company will look ahead to 2025.
