In a matchup with its in-state rival, the Missouri State Bears, usual Mizzou big boppers Trey Harris, Kameron Misner and Brian Sharp were held hitless, finishing a combined 0 for 9 at the plate with two walks and just one run batted in.
But with a supporting cast of Zach Hanna, Chad McDaniel, Alex Samples and Cade Bormet there to pick up the slack, the Tigers hit their way to an 8-6 win in Springfield on Tuesday night.
Hanna got the scoring started in the first with a single that plated two. Samples added an RBI double. After one, the Tigers had a seemingly commanding 3-0 lead.
Missouri starter Tyler LaPlante only allowed one run but was only able to get through three innings. The middle relievers needed to come through in the clutch and were unable to do so.
After trading a run each in the third and the fourth, the Tigers were up 5-2 at the game’s midway point.
In the bottom of the fifth, Tiger hurler Giovanni Lopez was hit especially hard, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks while retiring just one batter. After five innings, the Bears had cut into the Tiger lead and trailed just 5-4.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bears took the lead as another Tiger reliever, this time Ryan Rickett, was tagged for two runs, thanks to four hits allowed in just two-thirds of an inning.
However, the Tigers wouldn’t go down without a fight. In the top of the seventh, a two-out rally was started when Hanna was hit by a pitch. Then, Samples singled. McDaniel doubled to bring in the tying run, but a misplay by the Missouri State outfielder allowed the go-ahead run to score on the play. Bormet then added to the lead with an RBI of his own, and the Tigers were suddenly up 8-6.
After coming in and shutting the door in the bottom of the sixth, Jordan Gubelman put up zeros in the seventh, eighth and ninth to secure the Tiger win. He allowed no hits and just one walk while striking out four en route to his first Division I win.
After the game, head coach Steve Bieser was pleased with his team’s resolve in overcoming a deficit.
“I’ve never questioned our club,” he said in a press release. “They never quit — I’ve never seen that out of them ever.”
Looking ahead, the Tigers have a weekend series at Florida starting Friday at 5:30 p.m.
_Edited by Bennett Durando | bdurando@themaneater.com_
