On May 20, 2015, Missouri lost an extra inning heartbreaker to Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference tournament. The game ended with a Rhett Wiseman walk-off home run to center field.

Just 310 days later, heartbreak struck the Tigers again in an 8–6 loss to the Commodores. Vanderbilt won after a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning.

“It sucks, obviously,” senior Zach Lavy said. “Losing always sucks … give credit to them, they came back and did what they were supposed to do. We just couldn’t close it out.”

Missouri struck first in the third inning. Freshmen Ian Nelson and Connor Brumfield walked, and junior Ryan Howard was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Junior Jake Ring roped a two-run single to left-center, and sophomore Trey Harris extended the lead to 3–0 with a sacrifice fly.

Vanderbilt got a run back in the top of the fourth inning on a Bryan Reynolds single. A Jeren Kendall two-run single in the fifth tied the game at three.

Lavy made sure that the tie didn’t last long.

After two-out walks from Ring and Harris, the first baseman ripped a triple down the right-field line. He then scored on a wild pitch, giving the Tigers a 6–3 lead.

“We’re just battling right now,” Lavy said. “With two strikes, two outs, I think we just keep battling, keeping a good approach and good things will happen.”

Vanderbilt’s Will Toffey led off the sixth inning with a double to left field. He scored on a sacrifice fly, cutting the Missouri lead to two.

Missouri’s starting pitcher Reggie McClain left the game with one out in the seventh inning. He threw 111 pitches, giving up four earned runs and striking out nine. Redshirt freshman Liam Carter finished the seventh, stranding two Commodores on the bases.

After a scoreless eighth inning, Carter returned to the mound to try for an eight-out save. He started the frame by retiring the first two Commodores.

Carter’s success ended there. Vanderbilt put two runners on with singles, and a wild pitch put men on second and third. Kendall proceeded to tie the game with a two-run single, giving him four runs batted in on the day.

Harris felt that, despite the last inning, Carter pitched well for the Tigers.

“He pitched as well as I’ve seen him in a while,” Harris said. “And it really, really helped the team, really, really got us going into that ninth. And even though he gave up the run, I feel like he made really good pitches and they just got lucky hits.”

Coach Tim Jamieson replaced Carter with freshman Brian Sharp. On the second pitch he threw, Reynolds ripped a home run to dead center field to put Vanderbilt up 8–6.

Missouri didn’t score in the bottom half of the inning, solidifying the team’s fourth straight loss.

The Tigers drew a season-high attendance of 2,390. They play again at 5 p.m. Saturday.

“I think we just come out with that same approach we’ve had lately and it’ll slowly turn our way,” Harris said.

_Edited by Katherine Knott | kknott@themaneater.com_