During the Missouri baseball team’s last six games, a stretch where the team went 1-5, it seemed like the Tigers were desperately in need their bats to come alive in the clutch, a feat they were often unable to accomplish.

Their desperation was finally answered Tuesday, as the Tigers defeated Arkansas–Little Rock 10-5.

Back-to-back three-run innings — all of which were scored with two outs — helped the Tigers overcome the Trojans to stop their recent four-game skid.

Senior third baseman Conner Mach said the team brought an extra level of energy to this contest.

“We’ve been beat by teams like this before where we come out flat and we don’t have enough energy,” Mach said. “That was something we talked about before the game. If we just played good fundamental baseball and have some good at bats at the plate then it was more than likely a game we could win.”

The Tigers started out in convincing fashion. In his first career start, redshirt freshman Ryan Yuengel kept the Trojans scoreless in the first two innings while the Tiger offense jumped all over the starting Trojan pitching, scoring two runs to grab an early lead.

The momentum wouldn’t last long, though, and soon the Tigers found themselves trailing 4-2 after a four-run Trojan rally.

Subsequent pitching changes saw freshman pitcher John Miles and later redshirt sophomore pitcher Jake Walsh come to the mound for the Tigers, both of which contributed to keeping the Trojan scoring at bay. The back-and-forth battle saw the Tigers climb back to tie the game in the fifth, only before the Trojans regained a one-run lead in the top of the seventh.

That’s when the Tiger offense came alive, and with two outs in the bottom of the seventh the Missouri offense notched three runs, a feat they would repeat in the eighth as well. Missouri would hang on by the end of the game and win.

“The first half of the game was really frustrating, but we found a way to reverse that the second half of the game,” coach Tim Jamieson said. “Obviously it’s a win, but hopefully we can loosen the reins a little bit and guys can relax a little more in those situations.”

The victory came as a clear relief to the team, especially after suffering through a series of close losses, Mach said.

Missouri will next travel to St. Louis, where it will play Illinois in Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. The professional stadium will be a completely different venue than what the Tigers are used to typically playing in. Junior shortstop Eric Garcia said the team needs to remain level-headed in the new environment.

“I expect to have a good time that’s for sure,” Garcia said. “Illinois is a pretty good team this year. We have to not get overwhelmed with the atmosphere that we’re in and stay competitive and stay focused.“

The contest will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.