With temperatures not reaching above 60 degrees, fall was in full swing as the Mizzou Tigers played their second week of fall ball action against the St. Louis University Billikens.
Every good team needs to have good pitching, and the Tigers proved their pitching to be just that against SLU.
Missouri’s staff allowed just two earned runs in the first 16 innings of play. The teams played three six inning games, with the Tigers’ pitching faring well throughout. T.J. Sikkema allowed no hits in three scoreless innings with five strikeouts in the first game. He was relieved by Jordan Gubelman, who gave up the only runs of the game, four total with just two being earned. The unearned runs came after an error by right fielder Clayton Peterson and the earned runs off of a two-run home run by Billikens catcher Ryan Hernandez.
While the Missouri Tigers proved its pitching to be stout, the team’s hitting went in accordance with the weather.
The Tiger offense was shut down by SLU in game one. Connor Lehmann threw four innings, in which he struck out four and allowed only one hit. He was relieved by Ryan Lefner, who threw two more shutout innings to seal the victory.
The Tigers used three pitchers to get the game two victory, starting lefty Tyler LaPlante, then moving to Jacob Cantleberry and closing it out with Cameron Pferrer. Tiger pitching won that battle, as the Billikens were shut out. Missouri’s staff struck out five total, walking only one, and scattering four hits.
The Billikens countered with Drew Reveno, which the Tigers pounced on early. Alex Peterson got the scoring started with a single in the first. Connor Brumfield scored in the second on a wild pitch. Kameron Misner singled in the fifth off of Jackson Wark – one of four Billikens who took the mound – to score the third and final run of the contest, as the Tigers won 3-0.
In the third game, there was a little brotherly competition, as brothers Jake Matheny, catcher of Mizzou, and Luke Matheny, starting pitcher of SLU, sons of former major league player and manager Mike Matheny, got the opportunity to face off.
The first pitch of the at-bat went sailing to the backstop, which prompted both dugouts to get into the action. It was one of the more exciting moments of the day as, when the at-bat ended in a Jake Matheny strikeout, the SLU bench erupted in cheers.
A fan and likely family member even had something to say, yelling, “You’re both rock stars!” after the at-bat.
The fall ball schedule concludes when the Tigers play their third and final Black and Gold Scrimmage on Oct. 19.
_Edited by Adam Cole | acole@themaneater.com_