It wasn’t quite the homecoming they envisioned. The Missouri Tigers, playing in their first home series at Taylor Stadium, lost two of three games to the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames over the weekend. The losses dropped their record to 3-7 so far in the young season.
After Friday night’s game was cancelled due to rain, The Tigers led off Saturday’s doubleheader with a sloppy 11-7 loss. Missouri committed five errors in the blustery 30-degree weather, leading to a barrage of UIC runs. Missouri starter Matt Stites also had trouble locating his pitches, walking four and conceding six hits and four earned runs in just four innings. After the game, coach Tim Jamieson stressed the need to adjust better to the uncomfortable weather.
“It’s an attitude,” Jamieson said. “It’s more about the choices that you make. It has nothing to do with physical stuff. We’re all cold. They’re cold too, so we just have to be tougher.”
The Tigers bounced back in the second game of the day, however, trouncing the Flames 11-4. Missouri benefited from 15 walks handed out by UIC pitchers, and on the other side of the ball, freshman hurler Rob Zastryzny righted the ship for the Tigers. The lefty impressed in his third start of the season, allowing only two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings of work. Zastryzny claimed that the key to his success was throwing strikes.
“I was just spotting my fastball and letting them hit,” Zastryzny said. “In this cold it’s not going to travel as far. They’re not going to make solid contact on it, so I was just trying to throw in the zone and get some pop ups and ground balls.”
But as successful as the Tigers were in the second of their twin bill Saturday, they weren’t able to carry that momentum into Sunday’s rubber match, falling 5-1.
Missouri was able to score an early run in the second inning, thanks to an RBI single by sophomore first basemen Scott Sommerfield. But the Tigers were blanked throughout the remainder of the game, as Flames’ starter Matt Heaslip had his way with the Tiger lineup.
Heaslip nearly threw a shutout, tossing 8.2 innings of one-run ball. Tiger starter Jeff Scardino didn’t last nearly as long, giving up eight hits and 4 earned runs in 4.2 innings.
Although Missouri’s bats didn’t show up Sunday, outfielder Jonah Schmidt was a consistent contributor throughout the weekend. The senior from St. Louis went 5-11 during the three-game series, notching two RBI along with two runs scored.
And despite the two losses, senior shortstop Jesse Santo says it’s still good to be home.
“It was definitely good to be back at home, in front of our own crowd and in our own backyard,” Santo said. “It feels really good.”
