After rain in the forecast forced the cancellation of Saturday’s scheduled contest between the Missouri Tigers and the No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies, the teams played a doubleheader on Friday.
Missouri was swept in the doubleheader, losing 11-1 in game one and 7-1 in game two.
####Game One
A week removed from a complete game victory in his first career start, redshirt junior Cole Bartlett struggled against Texas A&M as he allowed four earned runs over 4.1 innings pitched.
Despite an ugly scoreline, Bartlett remained relatively in control on the mound, striking out six and allowing just two walks. Missouri’s defensive certainly didn’t help his cause. The same defensive issues that plagued the team in the early part of the season resurfaced as the Tigers committed three errors in the field.
Not much went Missouri’s way offensively, either. The Tigers were held to a single run for the second straight game. Senior Kirby McGuire’s two-out RBI single in the eighth inning provided the only run for the Tigers.
For the Aggies, starting pitcher Brigham Hill was nothing short of fantastic on the mound, recording seven innings of two-hit ball while striking out seven batters.
####Game Two
The second game of the night saw a premier pitching matchup that pitted Missouri ace Tanner Houck opposite Texas A&M star RHP Corbin Martin. Both players are projected to be top-50 picks in June’s upcoming MLB draft.
Despite the game remaining close for a majority of the contest, Texas A&M would emerge victorious by a wide margin of 7-1. The game was tied at 1-1 until the Aggies scored three runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Despite the loss, Houck tossed yet another brilliant start, holding the Aggies to a single run through 7.0 innings. Nonetheless, a concerning theme continued offensively, as the Tigers were unable to produce adequate run support for the pitching staff.
In Houck’s last six starts in Southeastern Conference play before Friday, Missouri had averaged a paltry 1.6 runs per game on offense. The trend continued in this game, with the Tigers scoring their lone run off a passed ball in the bottom of the third inning.
The loss was Missouri’s fifth straight. The Tigers have scored just three runs in that span, leaving a total of 16 runners on base.
“We are not clicking on any cylinders right now,” head coach Steve Bieser said. “You say you always want to be clicking on all cylinders, and I don’t know if we are clicking on any at all.”
The Tigers will have a chance to rebound against the Aggies on Sunday. Bieser confirmed postgame that Bryce Montes De Oca will start for the Tigers.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_