In a season full of ups and downs, Missouri baseball (28-18, 8-12 in the Southeastern Conference) took a step in the right direction with a 11-0 win over Murray State on Tuesday night at Taylor Stadium. The win ended a frustrating six-game losing streak.
Recently, wins have been hard to come by for the Tigers. Tuesday’s out-of-conference victory was only their eighth win in their last 25 games since the team’s 20-game win streak was snapped March 24 against Arkansas.
The story of the evening was the performance of junior right handed pitcher Andy Toelken. In the midst of an inconsistent season that at one point saw him removed from the rotation, Toelken proved his worth with a strong performance Tuesday night.
He earned his third victory of the season by allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out five over seven innings of shutout ball. Toelken has also continually shown impressive stamina in his starts; this outing marked the fourth time that he pitched into the seventh inning or later in a start this season.
Head coach Steve Bieser was pleased with every aspect of the team’s performance after a string of tough losses.
“Real positive for our club to come out and respond the way that we did the last two days,” Bieser said. “We had an outstanding practice yesterday and guys kind of carried it over into the game. The first three runs we got, we didn’t hit a ball hard, but that’s how things start.”
Offensively, Missouri was finally able to break out of its recent funk. Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Tigers had been outscored 30-5 in their last five games. They more than doubled that offensive output in Tuesday’s game alone.
Junior catcher Brett Bond led the offensive charge with a 4-5 performance at the plate, finishing just a triple shy of the cycle. His strong showing was highlighted by a solo home run in the fifth inning.
Freshman shortstop Chris Cornelius made one of the best plays of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning with a three-run, inside-the-park home run. No Tiger had hit an inside-the-parker in 2017 prior to his. It served as an exclamation point for the team and extended the Missouri lead to 9-0.
Up next for the Tigers is a crucial weekend series in Nashville, Tennessee, against the Vanderbilt Commodores (26-17, 10-10 in the SEC). First pitch for Friday’s game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_
