Missouri baseball (20–21, 4–14 Southeastern Conference) continued its slide Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 8 South Carolina by a score of 9–2. The Tigers were swept for the fourth time in SEC play this season and fell below the .500 mark for the first time in 2016.

The Gamecocks were able to build an early lead with a pair of runs off Mizzou starter Michael Plassmeyer in the first inning. A leadoff triple bounced off freshman Connor Brumfield’s glove in right-center before a pair of RBI singles up the middle gave the Gamecocks the lead.

Mizzou had its fair share of chances to stop the early bleeding but could not take advantage with men on base. The Tigers stranded five runners in the first five innings and could not mount a comeback. Before Mizzou got on the board in the eighth inning, the Gamecocks lead had grown to 6–0.

Tigers senior first baseman Zach Lavy ended the combined shutout bid for South Carolina with an RBI double to the left-center gap that scored junior shortstop Ryan Howard. It was Lavy’s conference-leading 27th extra-base hit of the season. Sophomore designated hitter Trey Harris followed with a single through the right side to cut the lead to four, but it was not enough.

South Carolina responded with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame to put it out of reach.

Mizzou will head back to Taylor Stadium for an in-state battle with No. 19 Missouri State at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Tigers are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, which included a 15–1 beatdown at the hands of Missouri State on April 12. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and KTGR.

_Edited by Alec Lewis | alewis@themaneater.com_