Mizzou baseball swept the North Dakota State Bison this weekend, extending its win streak to eight and making its home record 5-0. Even though the team has found early success, the message in the clubhouse remains to keep getting better and stay consistent in preparation for upcoming competition against more competitive teams and for conference play.
Game one
Mizzou scored 11 runs in the first game of the series, with freshman Blaize Ward tallying three hits to help the Tigers come out with a win.
Graduate pitcher Javyn Pimental started his second game on the mound for Mizzou since undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the 2025 season. Pimentel pitched five innings, giving up only two runs with five strikeouts.
In the bottom of the first inning with two runners on and two outs, Ward roped a double into right center field. Graduate student Jase Woita and junior Mateo Serna crossed the plate, putting the Tigers up 2-0.
Mizzou continued its offensive onslaught, scoring five in the bottom of the fourth inning to give it a seven-run lead.
However, the Tigers struggled defensively in the second half, allowing five runs and committing two errors from the sixth inning onwards.
“There’s a fine line between being aggressive and being over aggressive…we were just over aggressive,” head coach Kerrick Jackson said when asked what needed to be improved on after the win.
Game two
Mizzou won game two of the series and game one of the Saturday doubleheader 5-3. The game was highlighted by an impressive triple from sophomore Chris Patterson into right center field. Patterson finished the game with two hits and two RBIs.
Junior Josh McDevitt took the mound for the Tigers to start. McDevitt pitched four innings, allowing three hits and three runs while tallying six strikeouts. After two pitching changes in the fifth inning, sophomore PJ Green took the mound for the Tigers, pitching two innings and getting the win.
Offensively, the Tigers got started in the bottom of the first inning. Woita crossed home plate after tagging up on a Ward sacrifice flyout. North Dakota State senior pitcher Brayden Marks proceeded to load the bases and walk junior Eric Maisonet to put Mizzou up 2-0.
North Dakota State scored off a double in the second and tied it up with a 396-foot home run from senior Colten Becker. Sophomore Dante Smith took the lead with an RBI single in the fifth.
The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning on a fielder’s choice and took the lead with a Patterson single thatscored two.
The score of the fifth inning remained, and Mizzou won 5-3.
Game three
Forty-five minutes and a jersey swap later, a tired Mizzou team started game three. They found themselves down late until an offensive surge in the bottom of the eighth inning where they scored three. The Tigers ultimately won the game 7-5.
Pitching was the real story of this matchup. Sophomore starting pitcher Brady Kehlenbrink earned a career-high nine strikeouts in five innings on the bump after giving up a 384-foot first-inning home run to junior Tyman Long, showing his resilience and ability to take command of the game after taking a hit.
Left-handed graduate pitcher Ian Lohse closed both games for the Tigers and was the silver lining in a difficult day for the bullpen.
“Just stay focused on the process,” Lohse said when asked about what he said to the younger players who struggled. “Sometimes letting up hits isn’t in your control in a way. Sometimes it is.”
Mizzou has won eight games in a row and will look to continue its run against the University of Illinois at Taylor Stadium March 5.
