Sydney Wolf
Trevor Austin hits a single to right field, advancing Kaden Peer to third, and Jackson Beaman home. This led the Tigers to take a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
Missouri looked to get things back on track after being swept by a conference opponent for the fourth time this season, this time by the No. 1 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Tigers regained their footing by defeating the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars 11-8.
The Tigers rode a fast start to victory, scoring two runs in each of the first four innings. The Cougars stayed in the game with their hitting, as Missouri starting pitcher and redshirt freshman Wil Libbert allowed five runs. However, only one was earned due to the eight fielding errors made by the Tigers on the night.
These errors resulted in numerous innings going much longer than they should have, especially the first two. In the first, the Cougars had a batter reach base and another player reach second thanks to a fielding error resulting in one unearned run. Then, in the second, a throwing error allowed two runs for the Cougars with two outs before another player reached on a single. Junior infielder Keegan Knutson struggled the most with four errors of his own.
Junior relief pitcher Kadden Drew came in as the second and final pitcher of the night for Missouri in juxtaposition to SIUE’s six total pitchers. Drew started the sixth inning as the Tigers led 8-5 and was serviceable, allowing four hits, and three runs through four innings pitched. This performance came through despite the six errors made in the seventh and eighth.
The Tigers closed things out with a three-run top of the ninth, kicked off by senior outfielder Cayden Nicoletto, who delivered a two-run shot to left field that gave the Tigers the lead.
The Tigers needed their offense to deliver in this game due to the tremendous amount of fielding errors, and fortunately, they came through. Senior outfielder Pierre Seals went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs, four RBIs, and his third home run of the season. Redshirt freshman infielder Tyler Macon also had a breakout game, going 2-for-5 with three runs.
Next Matchup
The Tigers now sit at 12-21 after losing their first matchup of three 11-2 against the Florida Gators. They will finish the series on Saturday, April 12 in Gainesville, Florida.
Edited by Colin Simmons l csimmons@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com