University of Missouri
Coastal Carolina
Flanders' Three Homers Lead MU in Rout of Coastal Carolina
2/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 22, 2004
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.-- - Senior C Brad Flanders became only the second Tiger ever to hit three home runs in one game to lead Mizzou to a 21-4 victory over Coastal Carolina at the Beach Blast in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Saturday. The Tigers move to 6-0 on the season, their best start since the 1987 team started 7-0.
Flanders finished 4-for-5 with seven RBI and scored three runs. He joins Jerry Schoonmaker as the only Tiger ever to hit three home runs in one game. Schoonmaker had three against Kansas State during the 1954 National Championship season. He also threw out two base runners.
The Tigers hit back-to-back home runs twice against Coastal and broke open the game with a six-run eighth inning and scored 17 runs in innings five through eight. The 21 runs is the most scored since putting up 23 against Baylor last April.
Senior 1B Cody Ehlers continued his hot hitting as he went 2-for-5 with three RBI and had a home run. He has had at least one hit in each of the first six games of the year.
Flanders and sophomore James Boone teamed up to hit back-to-back homers in the second inning to put the first runs on the board for Mizzou.
Missouri put three runs on the board in the fifth inning on just two hits. MU was aided by three walks and an error in the inning. Four more Tigers crossed the plate in the sixth inning as their bats once again came alive as Ehlers and Flanders hit back-to-back homers.
Rallo had a two-run home run in the seventh as MU put four runs up in the inning. The eighth inning is when Mizzou put the game away, scoring six runs with just three hits. One of those hits was Flanders' third homer.
Hidden behind all of the offense was another strong performance by junior RHP Garrett Broshius. He moved to 2-0 on the year as he went 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out eight.
Senior RHP Mark Alexander pitched the final three innings to get his second save of the year.
Missouri's final game of the Beach Blast will start at 10 a.m. (9 a.m. central) on Sunday against Albany. MU will open up its home portion of the schedule next Friday at 4 p.m. against Youngstown State at Taylor Stadium. All Mizzou baseball games can be heard on the ZRG Radio Network (1580 KTGR in Columbia) and online at www.KTGR.com.
