The Missouri baseball team defeated No. 24 Kentucky in two of three games from Friday, April 3 to Sunday, April 5 in Lexington, Kentucky. The series victory improved the Tigers’ season record to 19-14.
A great performance from the Tigers in Game 3
Missouri got off to a quiet start in the first, with Sam Rosander doing his job on the mound, then Pierre Sears ignited the offense with a double to left field. Blaize Ward, who went 3-3 with a two-hitter, singled to left-center for the Seals, which gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
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Rosander went four innings, allowing the Wildcats just two runs and a home run in the third inning for a total of five hits.
In the top of the fourth, Ward took over command with another single to left, but the runner remained on base after Campos struck out to end the half-inning. Rosander did his job here, allowing one to be hit by a pitch and the rest being simple outs.
The offense and defense shine in the fifth quarter.
The Tigers got more action in the fifth inning when Kee Knutson’s sacrifice bunt error led to Eric Maisonet, who had pitched earlier. Kam Durnin hit a sacrifice fly to score Maisonet to tie the game at 2-2.
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Kaden Peer drove in three runs with a single and was caught stealing, but Knutson scored and gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead. Shortly after, Voita was hit by a hitter and the Seals loaded the bases with a walk, and Blaydes struck out for the third time of the game, this time a single into the octagon, extending the lead to 4-2 for Voita.
Cameron Benson walked, moving Blaydes, and Campos walked, which led to the bases loaded and the Seals’ lead to 5-2, and the inning ended with a flyout.
Juan Villarreal came on in the fifth inning and continued into the seventh with no hits and a strikeout to keep the score at 5-2.
Great pitching to end the game
The Tigers got on base again in the seventh inning as the bases were loaded and the bases loaded, but the inning ended when Campos struck out on third.
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The success came in the eighth inning when Durning added a single to right field. Eli Skidmore pitched for the Tigers, and a quick inning ended with a walk, a strikeout and a double. Skidmore came out again in the ninth inning and ended his day with his first college save, allowing just one double and no runs to Kentucky to end the series 2-1 at Missouri.
Mizzou allowed seven total hits and only seven strikeouts, allowing the Tigers to jump out of the game from the start and ultimately defeat a top-25 team in the NCAA. That the Tigers did well is an understatement.
Tigers strike first and win in Game 1 vs. Kentucky
Josh McDevitt got a timely hit and a strong pitching performance in his eighth start of the season, and Missouri started the weekend the right way in Lexington, beating No. 24 Kentucky 5-4 in a close game.
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It didn’t take long for the game to get into a pitching battle early, with Kentucky’s McDevitt and Jaxson Jerkin both having a quiet first inning. Kentucky struck first in the second quarter, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead, but their advantage didn’t last long.
Missouri State dominates in Game 3
Missouri responded with authority in the third inning after Durning sparked a rally and Peele continued to apply pressure. The Tigers used wild pitching to tie the game shortly after, followed by an RBI single by Jace Voita to give Missouri its first lead of the night. The game continued with singles from Seals and Ward, ending the inning with three runs for Missouri to take a 3-1 lead.
An inning later, Dunin hit again with an RBI single in the fourth inning, extending Mizzou’s lead to 4-1. That gives starter McDevitt room to make mistakes as he continues to fight. Kentucky, however, wasn’t going away without a fight.
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A tough fourth inning
The Wildcats took the fourth inning off two Missouri State errors and scored two unearned runs to make it 4-3. Despite the pressure, Missouri’s bullpen stepped up after the fifth inning and managed to score another run for Kentucky.
A crucial ninth inning for Jordan and the bullpen
In the final inning of the game, with one out, Knutson doubled to put the game in scoring position. Shortly after, Donovan Jordan’s RBI single to right field gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead.
Since then, Missouri has closed its doors. The Tigers retired in order in the bottom of the ninth to seal a road win and seize control of the series against a ranked opponent.
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Missouri State finished the night with 11 hits, Dunin led the way with a multi-hit performance, and the pitching staff combined to control Kentucky’s offense en route to a 5-4 win.
The second game on the road was a tough one
After the Tigers’ first win over Kentucky, Missouri failed to seize the momentum in Game 2 and fell 9-2.
The Missouri game got off to a shaky start when starter Brady Kehlenbrink hit a two-run homer to left-center to give Kentucky the lead. The Wildcats scored one more run in the second inning, but caused a commotion in the third.
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A costly third set
Kentucky did a lot of damage in the third inning, highlighted by Scott Campbell Jr.’s grand slam. The Wildcats extended their lead to 8-0 thanks to a bases-loaded, batter-and-bat and hit. Korenbrink, who had been stable until then, could not escape this one.
Mizzou went scoreless and allowed just one hit through four innings until the Tigers showed some light in the fifth inning.
Consecutive hits from Blaydes, Jordan and Mateo Serna gave the Tigers the lead. Tyler Macon reached on a fielder’s choice to score Jordan to extend the lead to 8-2 and then scored one more run.
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The Tigers had some hope along the way, including two runs from Peel in the sixth inning, but it wasn’t enough to swing the game in Mizzou’s favor.
Kentucky’s final game in the eighth was their only win of the series against Missouri.
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Missouri left Lexington with a series win over a top-25 opponent and now returns home for a midweek matchup against Missouri State. The first game is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT at Taylor Stadium.
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