STARKVILLE — Offensively, the No. 15 Mississippi State baseball team gave itself a chance to win Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, MSU’s bullpen allowed two six-run leads twice to slip away en route to a 16-12 loss to Eastern Kentucky in 10 innings at Dudy Noble Field.

“Our pitching staff just didn’t do the job,” MSU coach John Cohen said. “You give away six walks and an HBP (hit by pitch) and we’re saying that way too early this time of year. We’re just not challenging the strike zone enough, and we’re making it too easy for other teams offensively.”

MSU (12-4-1), which was coming off a three-game sweep of then-No. 11 Oregon, used four pitchers in relief of starter Konnor Pilkington, who allowed one run in four innings in his first career start. Kale Breaux, Ethan Small, Vance Tatum, and Blake Smith allowed 15 runs on 14 hits.

With a 12-6 lead, the Bulldogs let the Colonels (8-8) tie the game at 12 in the eighth. Doug Teegarden had a sacrifice fly out, Kyle Nowlin had a three-run home run, and Shea Sullivan had a two-run double off Tatum.

Tatum allowed three runs on four hits in 2/3 innings. In one inning against Oregon on Sunday, he gave up back-to-back home runs.

“Vance is not pitching as well as he did early on,” Cohen said. “He’s somebody we’re depending on. He’s an older guy. He had a great summer. He had a great fall, so we need to get him right back to where he needs to be.”

Smith (2-1) got the final out in the eighth and pitched a perfect ninth, but he allowed four runs with two outs in the 10th. Sullivan blooped one to right field and Teegarden scored for the winning run.

Ryan Gridley was hit by a pitch to start the bottom half of the inning, but reliever Caleb Johnson (2-1) recorded the next three outs. He pitched three innings and gave up no runs on one hit.

MSU took a 3-0 lead in the first on a two-run home run by Nathaniel Lowe and a solo home run by Gavin Collins. The Bulldogs led 7-1 in the fifth and 9-4 in the sixth.

Even with the big leads, Lowe said the Bulldogs weren’t thinking about a win.

“You can’t really think anything,” Lowe said. “Me, personally, I’m thinking 0-0 ballgame.”

Lowe went 3-for-4 with a seven RBIs, but the Colonels outhit the Bulldogs 17-15.

Cohen took many of the starters out in the eighth to put the best defensive lineup on the field, but it backfired as the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead and the pinch hitters couldn’t come through offensively.

“It drives me nuts because there is nothing I can personally do about it,” Lowe said. “There’s only so much you can say to encourage your guys because I know the pitching staff works their butts off every day.”

Breaux and Small are freshmen and have had success, but they combined to give up eight runs (seven earned) on five hits in three innings. They walked three and struck out five.

Of the 192 pitches MSU pitchers threw, 73 were balls, which bothered Cohen.

“I think our kids really competed hard, but I just don’t think we’re throwing enough strikes out of our bullpen right now,” Cohen said.

“All those guys are going to be really good pitchers at Mississippi State, but maybe we’re just advancing them a little too early in their career and maybe they’re not ready for this type of competition,” Cohen said. “We’re going to keep working and making sure those guys are working hard.”

MSU will play host to Oral Roberts (7-8) at 6:30 tonight (SEC Network+).

Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait

Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.