Missouri baseball loses to Georgia

Missouri baseball looked yet again to gain its first conference win of the year, but this time in a series against the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs. However, Missouri still couldn’t clinch an elusive conference victory.

Can’t quite finish

Similarly to the Tigers’ game one against Alabama, Missouri pounced on Georgia early. This was exhibited in game two with a two-run first inning, thanks to a shot from senior outfielder Cayden Nicoletto.

In game three, the Tigers only scored one run in the first seven innings but maintained a lead until the fifth. This was thanks tos pitching from redshirt freshman relief pitcher Wil Libbert, who allowed just four hits and no runs through the first four innings.

While games two and three saw a great start for the Tigers, both also saw blown leads and Missouri losses. The Tigers couldn’t hold come the fifth and sixth innings, allowing seven total runs during the fifth and sixth innings of games two and three.

These late-game collapses resulted in a 5-2 loss in game two and a 4-2 loss in game three. Game one saw the biggest score margin, as the Tigers fell 9-2.

The bats fell asleep

The pitching has been the Tigers’ main downfall all season, but the men at the mound held their own overall in this series. Unfortunately for Missouri, the bats picked a bad time to fall asleep.

The Tigers could only muster two runs per game against Georgia, often going long stints without getting in scoring position. Missouri did get a solid amount of hits over the series with 17, but when they got base runners in scoring position, they rarely sent them home.

Bright spots

For once, the pitching was the highlight of this struggling Missouri team. Every starting pitcher for the Tigers had a solid start, including Libbert in game three. However, he wasn’t the only star, as sophomore Sam Horn pitched a no-hitter through the first three innings of game two before retiring from the game. Freshman Brady Kehlenbrink also flashed his abilities, lasting just over four innings in game one, allowing one run and one hit.

It wasn’t just the starters, though. Numerous relievers had solid showings, the best of which came from junior Brock Lucas, who pitched the last three innings of game two. Lucas pitched a perfect game throughout, allowing no runs or hits and walking no batters.

While the men at the mound were the main stars of this series, there were still some solid showings at the plate. Sophomore catcher Mateo Serna went 3-for-8 at the plate, with one run throughout the series.

The Tigers sat at 16-38 (3-27 SEC) after being swept by the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Edited by Colin Simmons l [email protected]
Copy edited by Avery Copeland and Natalie Kientzy | [email protected]
Edited by Emily Skidmore | [email protected]