Reed Koutelas wrote up a recap of the series
Prior to Missouri baseball’s 2-1 series loss to the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats over the weekend, through 18 SEC games, the main reason why the Tigers had a 9-10 conference record was clear. Not enough runs were being scored.
Out of those 18 SEC games, Missouri (19-15, 9-12 in SEC) had scored more than five runs just once. As of April 28, the Tigers are last in slugging percentage (.375) and total bases (548). They rank 13th in home runs and 12th in doubles. The absence of Kameron Misner has only compounded the team’s issues at the plate.
The Tigers’ bats came to life for the first time in an SEC series in Lexington against the Big Blue. They scored 25 runs over the three games at UK, their most in a conference series since scoring 19 at LSU in mid-March. MU went yard seven times over the weekend.
Cruelly, despite breaking out offensively in one of the most important series of the season, Missouri lost the series anyway.
Friday’s game was a similar sight for Missouri, as it got a great game out of its starter but couldn’t produce the offense to take advantage of it. T.J. Sikkema struck out six and surrendered two earned runs over six innings, and those two runs were all Kentucky needed as the only run the Tigers mustered came in the first on a Brett Bond sacrifice bunt. MU lost game one 2-1.
Missouri crossed just one run on seven hits Friday, but it turned its fortune around Saturday when it scored 14 runs on just 12 hits and won 14-11. Michael Plassmeyer was scratched up for the second-straight start, as he allowed nine hits and four runs over five innings — he’s allowed nine earned runs over his last two starts. But it didn’t matter, as the Tigers slugged four home runs — coming from Brian Sharp, Matt Berler, Zach Hanna and Trey Harris.
Sunday’s contest was an important one, as it represented the rubber match with the series tied 1-1. Missouri entered with a chance to secure its second-straight SEC series win and come one game within having a .500 conference record.
Tyler LaPlante made his third consecutive weekend start, and though he had a lead to work with after MU scored a run in the first, he turned in his worst start of the year, allowing five runs in just one inning. Giovanni Lopez entered and allowed a run over two innings. The Tigers were down 6-1 after four innings, a deficit that wouldn’t be easy to overcome.
But in the fifth, the Tigers began edging back into it. Harris hit a two-run home run, his second of the series and team-leading ninth of the season. An inning later, Connor Brumfield hit a solo home run, and Harris brought the Tigers to within one run with an RBI single.
Missouri seemingly broke the game open in the seventh when Chris Cornelius tied the game 6-6 with an infield single and Brian Sharp slugged a grand slam to right field, giving MU a 10-6 year.
Sharp’s grand slam had “moment of the year” potential, as it represented his second home run of the series after a 29-game homerless streak beforehand. The home run capped off a breathtaking comeback and gave the Tigers a four-run lead in one of the biggest moments of the season.
Kentucky didn’t quit either, however. The Wildcats mounted a comeback of their own, and it began in the eighth against Nile Ball. Ball entered in the fourth — an unusually early entrance for the reliver — and allowed no runs and just one hit through four innings.
But Ryan Shinn homered to lead off the eighth. Ball loaded the bases with just one out, and on the second pitch Bryce Montes de Oca threw after entering in relief, Kole Cottom hit a grand slam to put UK back in front 11-10.
Missouri went quietly in the ninth and lost the Sunday matinee 11-10 and the series 2-1. As Mizzou fights for its postseason life, every SEC game carries an extra load of weight, which makes it all the more painful for the Tigers to lose a series after being six outs from winning it. They could have been 10-11 in the SEC, but they’re now 9-12.
“Just a real tough loss,” coach Steve Bieser said in a press release after the game. “We battled. One thing we have to be proud of is that we competed. We spotted them way too many early in that game and it was going to be tough to come back. Then we kind of get everything to swing our way and then I thought we did some things late in the game that was not great game-winning baseball.”
After taking on Iowa in Iowa City on Tuesday, the Tigers will return home to Columbia this weekend and will host Georgia.
Prior to Missouri baseball’s 2-1 series loss to the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats over the weekend, through 18 SEC games, the main reason why the Tigers had a 9-10 conference record was clear. Not enough runs were being scored.
Out of those 18 SEC games, Missouri (19-15, 9-12 in SEC) had scored more than five runs just once. As of April 28, the Tigers are last in slugging percentage (.375) and total bases (548). They rank 13th in home runs and 12th in doubles. The absence of Kameron Misner has only compounded the team’s issues at the plate.
The Tigers’ bats came to life for the first time in an SEC series in Lexington against the Big Blue. They scored 25 runs over the three games at UK, their most in a conference series since scoring 19 at LSU in mid-March. MU went yard seven times over the weekend.
Cruelly, despite breaking out offensively in one of the most important series of the season, Missouri lost the series anyway.
Friday’s game was a similar sight for Missouri, as it got a great game out of its starter but couldn’t produce the offense to take advantage of it. T.J. Sikkema struck out six and surrendered two earned runs over six innings, and those two runs were all Kentucky needed as the only run the Tigers mustered came in the first on a Brett Bond sacrifice bunt. MU lost game one 2-1.
Missouri crossed just one run on seven hits Friday, but it turned its fortune around Saturday when it scored 14 runs on just 12 hits and won 14-11. Michael Plassmeyer was scratched up for the second-straight start, as he allowed nine hits and four runs over five innings — he’s allowed nine earned runs over his last two starts. But it didn’t matter, as the Tigers slugged four home runs — coming from Brian Sharp, Matt Berler, Zach Hanna and Trey Harris.
Sunday’s contest was an important one, as it represented the rubber match with the series tied 1-1. Missouri entered with a chance to secure its second-straight SEC series win and come one game within having a .500 conference record.
Tyler LaPlante made his third consecutive weekend start, and though he had a lead to work with after MU scored a run in the first, he turned in his worst start of the year, allowing five runs in just one inning. Giovanni Lopez entered and allowed a run over two innings. The Tigers were down 6-1 after four innings, a deficit that wouldn’t be easy to overcome.
But in the fifth, the Tigers began edging back into it. Harris hit a two-run home run, his second of the series and team-leading ninth of the season. An inning later, Connor Brumfield hit a solo home run, and Harris brought the Tigers to within one run with an RBI single.
Missouri seemingly broke the game open in the seventh when Chris Cornelius tied the game 6-6 with an infield single and Brian Sharp slugged a grand slam to right field, giving MU a 10-6 year.
Sharp’s grand slam had “moment of the year” potential, as it represented his second home run of the series after a 29-game homerless streak beforehand. The home run capped off a breathtaking comeback and gave the Tigers a four-run lead in one of the biggest moments of the season.
Kentucky didn’t quit either, however. The Wildcats mounted a comeback of their own, and it began in the eighth against Nile Ball. Ball entered in the fourth — an unusually early entrance for the reliver — and allowed no runs and just one hit through four innings.
But Ryan Shinn homered to lead off the eighth. Ball loaded the bases with just one out, and on the second pitch Bryce Montes de Oca threw after entering in relief, Kole Cottom hit a grand slam to put UK back in front 11-10.
Missouri went quietly in the ninth and lost the Sunday matinee 11-10 and the series 2-1. As Mizzou fights for its postseason life, every SEC game carries an extra load of weight, which makes it all the more painful for the Tigers to lose a series after being six outs from winning it. They could have been 10-11 in the SEC, but they’re now 9-12.
“Just a real tough loss,” coach Steve Bieser said in a press release after the game. “We battled. One thing we have to be proud of is that we competed. We spotted them way too many early in that game and it was going to be tough to come back. Then we kind of get everything to swing our way and then I thought we did some things late in the game that was not great game-winning baseball.”
After taking on Iowa in Iowa City on Tuesday, the Tigers will return home to Columbia this weekend and will host Georgia.
