In a 9-1 win against Tennessee, Missouri baseball scored five runs on one of the best pitchers in the country – Chase Dollander.
Missouri baseball had two primary goals heading into its first SEC matchup of the season: beat No. 2 Tennessee and slow down the Volunteers’ starting pitcher, Chase Dollander.
Dollander is projected to be a top prospect in next year’s MLB Draft — bringing multiple MLB scouts from across the league to Columbia to watch his dangerous fastball that had already retired 45 batters on the year.
Even so, the Tigers won Friday’s matchup against the Volunteers 9-1, accomplishing their primary goal and making an early season statement in game one of the weekend-long series.
By the fourth inning, the Tigers held a 5-0 lead and had clearly chipped away at Dollander, as three scouts had already left the stadium.
“Our plan was to be aggressive and we went out and attacked their pitcher, who we know has been the best in the country,” Missouri head coach Steve Bieser said. “We had great success early and I think that really helped set the tone.”
Bieser, the former professional baseball player, understands how to approach elite pitchers.
“I think a lot of starting pitchers, you got to get to them early,” Bieser said. “If you let them settle in, they get pretty damn good as the game goes. We knew that he trusts his fastball, and he’s going to attack with a fastball, and we were really ready to hit the fastball.”
For the Tigers, senior starting pitcher Chandler Murphy was nearly unhittable in the six innings he pitched.
The right hander only allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out five batters. Bieser called Murphy’s performance on the mound “fabulous.”
The Missouri offense saw 11 hits on the day with 8 RBIs. First baseman Hank Zeisler tallied a triple, and second baseman Trevor Austin, catcher Dalton Bargo and right fielder Jackson Lovich all tallied doubles. The Tigers would go on to sweep the three game series, which propelled the team to a No. 22 ranking in the top 25 of the country, ahead of their 8-3 win against Kansas.
Edited by Davis Wilson, dwilson@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Lauren Courtney