The Le Moyne Dolphins traveled from Syracuse, N.Y. to meet the Missouri Tigers for a four-game series Friday and Saturday at Taylor Stadium. After losing three of four games, it’s safe to say that the Dolphins didn’t receive too hospitable of a welcome.
Le Moyne had success early, however, clawing out a 6-5 win over the Tigers on Friday night. Late fielding blunders spoiled another eye-opening start from freshman pitcher Rob Zastryzny, who fired 7.1 innings and allowed only six hits and three earned runs.
Down 6-3 entering the bottom of the ninth inning, Missouri made a valiant comeback, plating two runs before finally falling short. Jonah Schmidt led the Tigers with two RBI, including his second home run of the season.
Coach Tim Jamieson stressed the need for the team to gain confidence as well as find a little luck.
“You can feel the pressure in the dugout,” Jamieson said. “You just need something good to happen. We need the baseball gods to smile on us a little bit. We’ll take whatever we can get.”
And just like that, the tide turned in Saturday’s doubleheader. The Tigers swept the Dolphins and in doing so handed Jamieson his 550th career victory.
Missouri rallied to win the first game 7-4, scoring five runs in the eighth inning after falling behind 4-2. The Tigers put together six hits in the inning, including three for extra bases.
A strength that led to the victory was Missouri’s aggressiveness on the base paths, which allowed the Tigers to steal eight bases in the game. Junior Conner Mach swiped four bases alone, matching a school record.
The offensive effort supported an excellent start from junior winning pitcher Matt Stites. The righty threw his best game of the season, tossing seven innings and allowing only two earned runs on five hits. Stites said his success was because of a boost in confidence.
“I started loosening up in the fifth inning after I talked to Phil (McCormick),” Stites said. “He got me going a little bit and I was like, ‘OK, these guys can’t beat me.’ I just felt great out there.”
The trend of great pitching carried into game two of the twin bill as starter Jeff Scardino and reliever Jeff Emens combined to pitch all nine innings with Scardino sacrificing the only two earned runs. Blake Brown led the Tigers offensively with two RBIs to help Missouri enter Sunday’s finale on a winning streak.
The Tigers extended the win streak in the series finale, pummeling the Dolphins 10-1. Six Le Moyne errors made things relatively easy for the Missouri offense, and an impressive performance by Tiger starter Zack Hardoin ensured the victory.
Hardoin lasted five innings, conceding three hits and zero runs. After walking three batters in the first two innings, Hardoin found his control and never looked back. The lefty remarked this weekend’s success could be a step in the right direction.
“We’ve had a slow start as far as wins have gone, but this weekend was great for our team,” Hardoin said. “Hopefully we can keep it going.”