The time read 6:06 p.m. Friday evening when Tigers freshman Shane Benes was finally cleared to play for the first time this season. Unfortunately, the first pitch between Missouri and Alabama was at 6:05.

He missed playing in his first baseball game in nearly two years by one minute.

Benes would have to settle for one more day out of the lineup but returned Saturday against the Crimson Tide.

“There were a lot of emotions going on,” Benes said. “It’s been a long time. I was just happy to be out there and no matter how I did, just be thankful to be out there again.”

Slotted seventh in the batting order, Benes took his first at-bat as a Tiger and blasted a triple off the wall in straightaway center, narrowly missing a home run by a couple inches.

“I couldn’t hear or feel anything,” Benes said. “I was just up there doing what I love to do.”

Standing on third base, Benes threw his fist in the air in excitement. His teammates loved it.

“Just seeing (Benes) on the field again was great,” Mizzou third baseman Josh Lester said. “He’s been a great teammate the last three months when he couldn’t play. Being able to see him happy and on the field being successful makes us feel good.”

The triple marked Benes’ first time at the plate since his junior season of high school. He missed his entire senior baseball season at Westminster Christian Academy in Town and Country, Missouri, while rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which he suffered during a Westminster basketball game.

The injury was devastating for Benes, who was ranked as the No. 35 overall prospect in the country and the No. 8 overall shortstop by Perfect Game. He is also the son of former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and No. 1 overall draft pick Andy Benes.

Benes’ return to the game of baseball was far from over, though. After being cleared fully for baseball activities again, Benes was set to be a major factor in Mizzou’s season. Then came the team’s first scrimmage.

“I was playing first base and it was our first scrimmage, actually,” Benes said. “We were taking it slow and I had my brace on. We were taking ground balls, warming up before the game and I just planted for a backhand and (the same) knee gave out. Just a freak accident.”

Just like that, Benes was back to square one. After missing the Tigers’ first 28 games this season, he finally saw his name scribbled on the lineup card Saturday and made the most of it in a 6-0 loss. Including his triple in the second inning, Benes enjoyed a 3-for-4 day in his debut. He had three of Mizzou’s seven hits in the ballgame.

“(Benes) had a great day for a guy who hasn’t really played in two years,” Missouri coach Tim Jamieson said.

Although Benes went 0-for-3 in the back half of the doubleheader, he said he was just happy to be out on the field again in Mizzou’s 5-3 victory, which clinched its third consecutive Southeastern Conference series win.

“Every single at-bat I was up there, I had the adrenaline going,” Benes said. “Nerves were going, but I think for the most part I took really good at-bats.”

Benes credited Mizzou’s first-year hitting coach, Hunter Mense, with helping him get ready for his debut.

“(Mense) has helped me a ton,” Benes said. “When I got here, my swing, mechanics-wise, improved. I’m using my lower half a lot more and my power’s gone up a little more.”

Finally healthy and with his name in the lineup, Benes is poised to be a huge contributor down the stretch for Mizzou (26-14, 12-6 SEC), now tied for first in the SEC East Division with perennial powerhouse Vanderbilt (29-12, 12-6 SEC). After being picked to finish last in the division in preseason polls this year, the Tigers’ bounce-back season has come as a nice surprise. Now, they have the biggest conference series of the season on the horizon, next weekend against the Commodores.

“It’s awesome,” Lester said of the matchup. “It’s always fun proving people wrong.”

However, first the Tigers have a big non-conference rivalry in a mid-week contest against No. 19 Missouri State. Not only will it be a big game in terms of building a resume for the NCAA Tournament, but it will be a meaningful game personally for Benes, who has a few friends on the Missouri State ballclub.

“I’m going to take it like I take any other game,” Benes said. “But seeing a couple of teammates that I’ve known for a long time, I think it will be cool to see them and see how they’re doing. I’m going to look forward to that game.”

Benes, along with Mizzou freshman catcher Brett Bond, was a part of a class at Westminster that captured consecutive Class 3 state titles in in 2011 and 2012, along with a Class 4 championship in 2013.

“Me and Brett are used to winning,” Benes said. “So we’re bringing that here and getting some more wins.”