Missouri baseball (25–27, 8–19 Southeastern Conference) suffered a significant blow to their postseason hopes after dropping two of three home games against Georgia (26–26, 10–17 SEC) this past weekend. After a doubleheader split Saturday, Georgia took the series finale by a score of 5–2 due to a three-run seventh inning.
The Tigers sit one game ahead of Arkansas and Tennessee in the SEC tournament picture, and they are even with Auburn. Mizzou holds the tiebreakers over all three teams, but Georgia entered the weekend just one game ahead of the Tigers. A series win would have allowed Mizzou to hop the Bulldogs and likely avoid missing the postseason altogether for the second time since 2002.
**Game One**
Inclement weather postponed the Friday night series opener to Saturday. Sophomore right-hander Tanner Houck pitched well enough to keep the Tigers in it, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits over five innings. But Houck’s command was missing a beat from the start. He surrendered three walks and threw one wild pitch, which allowed a run to cross the plate as part of a three-run first inning for Georgia. The Tigers had more self-inflicted damage thanks to two errors committed by the middle infield.
Shane Benes had a productive day at the plate for Mizzou. The sophomore designated hitter smacked his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot, to bring the Tigers within a run after Georgia grabbed the early lead. He later came through with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Benes’ 33 RBIs on the season rank third on the team.
Mizzou grabbed a 4–3 lead in the fifth inning on an RBI single from senior first baseman Zach Lavy, who collected a hit in all three games during the series. However, the Tigers’ bullpen could not hold down the fort. Redshirt sophomore Cole Bartlett (L, 3–5) and senior southpaw Austin Tribby combined to allow four runs in just 3.2 innings of work. Mizzou could not find a late response, and Georgia won the series opener by a final score of 7–4.
**Game Two**
Mizzou bounced back in the second half of the doubleheader courtesy of a dominant start by redshirt senior Reggie McClain (W, 5–3) in his final outing at Taylor Stadium. McClain, a native of Duluth, Georgia, delivered a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and fanning 12 batters, tying his season high. It was McClain’s second complete game of the season.
McClain managed to outdo last season’s outing against Georgia. In 2015, McClain tossed a complete game against the Bulldogs in Mizzou’s SEC opener, surrendering just one run with eight strikeouts.
A pair of home runs also helped lift the Tigers to a win and to even the series at one game apiece. Junior center fielder Jake Ring broke a scoreless tie with a solo shot in the sixth inning for his second home run of the season. Lavy continued his sensational senior campaign by drilling a grand slam to right-center field in the eighth inning to break the game open.
**Game Three**
In the series finale, freshman Michael Plassmeyer (L, 4–6) managed to tiptoe around a few jams to keep the Tigers in the game early on. However, Tribby struggled out of the bullpen for the second straight day. With the Tigers trailing by just a pair, he allowed three earned runs over 1.2 innings, which allowed Georgia to extend its lead to 5–0.
Lavy homered again for Mizzou to get the Tigers on the board in the seventh. It was his team-leading eighth blast and 54th RBI of the season. Trey Harris, who later recorded an RBI-groundout, ranks second on the team in RBI with 33.
Mizzou brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth in Jake Ring, but a harmless fly out to left ended the game. Sophomore Bo Tucker collected his third save of the season for the Bulldogs.
**Next Up**
Mizzou will play its final home game of the season at 4 p.m. Tuesday against Oklahoma. The Tigers conclude their regular season with a three-game set on the road against Kentucky next weekend, a series that will decide their fate in the postseason. All remaining games will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and KTGR.
_Edited by George Roberson | groberson@themaneater.com_
