Reggie McClain said Missouri (15-12, 0-6 SEC) needed to start playing a full nine innings in order to be successful amid a six-game skid. On Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium against Saint Louis (12-13, 3-0 A10), eight-and-a-half was good enough as the Tigers took down the Billikens 5-3.
SLU tagged Mizzou starting right-hander Ryan Lee for a pair of runs in the opening inning, but the Tigers halted the bleeding quickly. In the bottom half of the frame, junior shortstop Ryan Howard singled, swiped second and later came across to score on a sacrifice fly from senior first baseman Zach Lavy. The quick response allowed Lee, a redshirt sophomore, to settle in for a nice midweek performance.
Lee tossed 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and earned a no-decision. The Tigers have yet to lose one of his outings since his first appearance of the season against Seton Hall.
In the fifth, Mizzou pulled ahead with three more runs courtesy of an RBI-single from freshman designated hitter Brian Sharp, an RBI-double by sophomore third baseman Shane Benes. Sharp later crossed the plate via a wild pitch.
The Billikens answered back with a run in the sixth to cut the Tigers’ lead to 4-3, but a steady bullpen effort kept the lead intact. Redshirt sophomore Cole Bartlett earned the win by allowing one run over 2.1 innings. In the seventh, the first two men reached base for Saint Louis, but Bartlett induced a 4-6-3 double play and an easy groundout to end the threat.
Mizzou added an insurance run in the eighth on a Lavy RBI-single through the left side. The middle third of the Tigers’ lineup went a combined 5-for-13 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Liam Carter shut it down for a two-inning save, his first of the season, and Mizzou snapped its lengthy losing streak.
The Tigers will look to earn their first conference win of the season Friday night against Arkansas (18-6, 3-3 SEC). The series opener at 6:35 p.m. will be broadcast on SEC Network + and the final two games of the series will be televised on SEC Network. All three games can be heard on KTGR.
