Wild 9th inning gives MSU Bears comeback win vs. Mizzou, lifts spirits of returning pitcher

OPINION |

It was hard to tell which was the bigger comeback Tuesday night at Hammons Field: Ty Buckner’s return to the mound as Missouri State’s starting pitcher or the Bears’ three ninth-inning runs to stun their biggest non-conference rival.

Either way, it added up to a sleepy-turned-thrilling 3-2 Missouri State victory in front of 2,007 fans on the chilly evening.

Freshman Hayden Moore’s fly-ball single to deep left field — as Mizzou’s Trevor Austin slipped and fell while turning to give chase — sent the Bears into a wild celebration. And goodness knows, in what has been a trying season, the Bears needed this sort of win.

“I’m exhausted,” a wide-eyed Moore said after the madness calmed. “It’s our rival, Mizzou, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Jaden Rolffs’ two-out, two-run single tied it a batter earlier. The wacky inning included Walker Jenkins being called out on a questionable check-swing strike three, and Dakota Kotowski reaching on an infield single as video review overturned the out call at first base.

“It was good to be the home team and have the last opportunity,” Bears coach Keith Guttin said.

Missouri State evened its record at 18-18 with a fourth straight win, showing promise after the tough stretch. The pitching staff is perking up as some roles have been shuffled. The every-day lineup, which has missed three starters, is getting healthy again after an eight-game losing streak earlier this month.

Speaking of health, Buckner is an expert on that subject. The senior right-hander from St. Louis needed only 14 pitches to dispose of Missouri in a hitless first inning, striking out one and making catcher Drake Baldwin’s glove pop with authority.

Then Buckner’s night was done, another step on his comeback trail achieved. One week ago, he tossed a hitless inning in relief against the Tigers in Columbia.

Those are his lone appearances in more than a year, when he suffered the third season-ending injury in three seasons.

“That was amazing. I was speechless after that,” Buckner said of last week’s return. “I got back to the dugout and I hugged Coach G. I didn’t know what to do.”

Buckner is being used on a limited basis for now as he builds endurance. That he’s pitching at all is a testament to his mental and physical determination and an inspiration to teammates.

“That’s a confidence boost for him, and our team as well,” Moore said of Buckner. “Seeing him succeed like that is huge.”

Buckner burst on the college scene in a big way in 2018, going 7-4 with 60 strikeouts in 76 ⅔ innings. He was a weekend starter as Missouri State won its second straight Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship and started a game in the NCAA Tournament.

Named as Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, the future appeared bright. Then, the light went out and he only pitched 13⅔ innings over the next three seasons. Running through his series of misfortunes after Tuesday’s game, all Buckner could do was laugh.

“One after another,” he said, chuckling. The rundown:

• Before the 2019 season, Buckner suffered a torn Achilles while simply doing some light training in the Hammons Field indoor facility. Season over before it began.

• Buckner’s road back suffered another detour the next spring as a torn hip labrum shut him down for the 2020 season.

• Again he rehabbed and made it back to the mound in 2021 — but only for three starts before needing Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow last March.

Buckner said quitting was never an option.

“It was tough there for a while, but you just have to have the perseverance,” Buckner said. “You can do anything with these guys, with this staff. They’ve really meant a lot to me throughout my journey here. It’s just great to be back with the guys.

“We had a great 2018 year. There have been ups and downs and just kind of persevered. Now we’re here so hopefully we’ll have a good back half of the season.”

How big a role Buckner plays the rest of the season remains to be seen, but he could be a wild-card for a team that has plenty to play for with an eye on a late-May hometown treat as the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament comes to Hammons Field for the first time since 2017.

Buckner said his velocity ranged from 90-94 miles per hour before the Achilles injury. He feels good and is confident that good things await, both him and the Bears.

“Coming back, there have been ups and downs with (arm) tightness, but I think I was 92 the other night at Mizzou,” Buckner said. “ I don’t know what I was tonight. We hope to extend my innings going forward. I feel really good — especially after that W.

“The guys are coming together. We had a little bit of a losing skid there for a while, but we’re back together and good to go. We’re gonna finish the season strong.”