The Missouri Tigers headed to Waco last weekend for a three-game series with the Baylor Bears, desperately searching for their first Big 12 series win of the 2011 season. Thanks to some timely hitting and nearly flawless relief work, that’s exactly what they found.
The Tigers set the tone in Thursday’s series opener, with four Missouri hurlers holding Baylor to only two total runs in a 4-2 win. Sophomore Eric Anderson took the mound for his third start since a season-ending shoulder surgery in 2010, and in three innings allowed only one earned run while striking out three. Still, with Anderson’s pitch count being limited, it would take a team effort for the Tigers to earn their first Big 12 win on the road.
That’s exactly what coach Tim Jamieson received from his bullpen, as senior Brad Buehler, junior Dusty Ross and senior Phil McCormick combined to give up only one earned run in the final six innings. Junior Conner Mach and sophomores Eric Garcia and Brannon Champagne each drove in key runs for Missouri, who was able to improve to 15-22 on the season and 3-9 in the Big 12 with the close road win.
The Bears showed some tenacity on Friday, however, bouncing back and jumping all over Missouri freshman starter Rob Zastryzny on their way to a 6-3 win. Zastryzny, a Texas native, was not greeted warmly by Bear hitters, being tagged for five runs on eight hits in only 4.1 innings of work.
Missouri’s bats couldn’t keep pace with Baylor, posting nine hits but only pushing across three runs. Mach led the way for the Tigers, producing his best offensive game of the season by far out of the leadoff spot. The third baseman went 4-4 with a run scored and two RBIs, including a two-run homer to left field in the third inning. The junior finished a triple shy of the cycle, recording two singles, a double and a home run in the loss.
On Saturday’s rubber match, the floodgates seemed to open for Missouri’s hitters for the first time in Big 12 play. The Tigers exploded for 10 runs on 16 hits in an easy 10-1 victory. Senior Jonah Schmidt went a perfect 5-5 with a run scored, making him the first Tiger to reach the five-hit plateau since former Tiger Aaron Senne against Purdue on March 30, 2010.
Schmidt had plenty of help from the rest of Missouri’s lineup as well. Sophomore catcher Ben Turner made the most of his opportunities at the plate, going 2-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Sophomore Blake Brown also continued to swing a hot bat, adding two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Mach followed up Friday’s stellar effort with a similar output on Saturday, driving in two more runs and reaching base via a hit and two walks. This, by every definition, was a team effort.
Refusing to be overshadowed by the Tigers’ bats, junior starter Matt Stites turned in perhaps his finest start of the season on Saturday. The junior college transfer struck out a career-high nine Bears and allowed only one earned run in 7.2 innings. Stites also proved his durability, throwing a career-high 123 pitches in the effort. Everything seemed to click for Missouri, and the result was their first Big 12 series win.
Jamieson and the Tigers hope to carry that momentum into games with Eastern Illinois and Missouri State this week, and eventually a series against Big 12 powerhouse Texas A&M Aggies this weekend. Heading into the home stretch of the conference season, Missouri hopes this series win is merely a sign of things to come.
