It had been over a year since a Missouri player drove in five runs in a single game. Senior Zach Lavy changed that in an 8–3 Missouri victory against the Youngstown State Penguins on Friday night.

Senior Reggie McClain (3–0) was the starting pitcher for the Tigers.

Early on, McClain got some help from his defense. After a leadoff double, Youngstown State’s Billy Salem hit a sharp ground ball between first and second base. Tigers second baseman Ian Nelson, a freshman, dove and speared the ball. He stood and threw Salem out, saving a run.

The next batter, Andrew Kendrick, grounded to third base. Tigers freshman Brian Sharp threw to the plate, and sophomore catcher Brett Bond applied the tag to keep Youngstown State from scoring.

The Tigers struck in the bottom of the first. Freshman Connor Brumfield and junior Jake Ring singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Lavy drove both runners in with a double, giving the Tigers a 2–0 lead. Bond then sent a fly ball to left field, but Youngstown State’s Dominic Brown dropped the ball, giving the Tigers another run.

The Penguins put runners on the corners two outs in the second. The runner on first attempted a steal, and when Bond threw to second, the runner on third darted home. Nelson, however, threw the Youngstown runner out at the plate, keeping the score at 3–0.

Coach Tim Jamieson felt that the plays at home were pivotal in the Tigers’ win.

“If they score those two runs, it makes a difference in the game,” he said.

After the second inning, McClain did not need much help from his fielders. He threw seven innings, giving up only one run and striking out five.

“I was rushing my delivery in the first two innings and then, after I slowed down, everything started to come back,” McClain said.

In the fifth inning, Ring and Harris singled to put two on for Lavy. The senior continued his big night with a three-run homer, giving him five RBIs on the day.

Lavy feels that a more disciplined approach has helped him in the past few games. On his home run tonight, he was waiting for a specific pitch.

“I got my pitch, exactly the pitch I was looking for,” Lavy said. “I honestly didn’t think it would go out because of the wind today, but luckily I muscled it over.”

In the sixth inning, Tigers freshman Marquise Doherty picked up his first career hit. Doherty was taken in the 15th round by the Kansas City Royals in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft.

Youngstown State scored its first run in the seventh inning. Designated hitter Ryan Cordova drove in a run with a single, making the score 6–1.

Ring manufactured a run for the Tigers in the bottom of the inning. The junior singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He then came home on a passed ball, bringing the Tiger lead back to six. Missouri then loaded the bases, and freshman Brian Sharp drove in a run with a ground ball.

Senior Tyler Hunt made his Missouri baseball debut in the ninth inning. Hunt joined the baseball team after playing football for the Tigers. He pitched one-third of an inning, walking three batters. Freshman Graham Ruopp replaced Hunt at pitcher and allowed two runs to score.

The Tigers are back in action tomorrow with a doubleheader. The first game is at 1 p.m.