Exactly one week after in-state rival Missouri State blanked the Missouri baseball team, the Bears dealt the Tigers an eerily similar defeat Tuesday. Missouri lost by a score of 5-0 to bring its record to 19-26.
MSU jumped up early – in fact, immediately – as leadoff man Aaron Conway ripped the first pitch of the game for a triple and then scored on a fielder’s choice to grab a 1-0 lead.
Missouri sophomore outfielder Blake Brown nearly duplicated Conway’s start in the second inning with a leadoff double. Despite advancing Brown to third on a sacrifice fly, the Tigers were unable to tie the game.
Two hits and four stolen bases in the third padded the Missouri State lead to 3-0, which was more than enough of a cushion for Bears starter Pierce Johnson. Johnson went seven innings, allowing no runs while striking out eight to deal Missouri a 5-0 defeat.
Missouri coach Tim Jamieson made use of his pitching staff by throwing eight pitchers, none lasting more than 1.2 innings.
Just as they were in the previous meeting (a 5-2 MSU victory), the Missouri bats were cold Tuesday. The Tigers were shut out while collecting just five hits, two of which came from sophomore third baseman Eric Garcia. The Tigers only had six base runners all game.
The offensive shutdown came briefly after Missouri had found a groove against hefty Big 12 Conference opponent Texas A&M. The Tigers totaled 21 runs in the three-game home weekend series en route to two victories.
MU’s 2011 season has been a rebuilding year comprised of highs and lows. The Tigers have had both a six-game winning streak and a nine-game losing streak this season. The team has since dropped two straight games and will need to return to delivering with runners in scoring position if they want to avoid spiraling into another drought.
The MSU game stood as the final non-conference game of MU’s 2011 season. The Tigers take to the road this weekend for a series with Kansas State before returning home the following weekend for the final home stand of the year against Texas Tech. MU will then close out the 2011 campaign with a series at Nebraska, which will also signify the Cornhuskers’ final weekend games as a member of the Big 12 before moving on to the Big 10 Conference.
