University of Missouri
Navy
Mizzou Rolls Over Navy, 25-2
2/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 25, 2005
MILLINGTON, Tenn. - - Mizzou put on a show Friday on the opening day of the Service Academy Classic in Millington, Tenn., defeating Navy 25-2. The Tigers were impressive both at the plate and on the mound, recording their biggest win since a 30-0 defeat of Truman State in 2003.
The 26 hits for Missouri (5-1) set a new school record for hits in a game, passing the mark of 25 against Rockhurst in 1997.
The Tigers have scored in double digits in their last four games and have out-scored its opponents 58-18 in those four games.
Mizzou set a new Service Academy Classic record for runs scored, easily passing the old record of 15 runs by Mississippi over Air Force in 1998. The 22-run margin of victory is also the largest win in the 17 years of the tournament.
Just as impressive as the offensive output by MU, was the work of the Missouri pitchers beginning with the Tigers' starter, sophomore Max Scherzer, who picked up his first career victory.
Scherzer pitched six shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight batters. The only hit allowed by Scherzer was an infield hit by Jonathan-Matthew Johnston in the first inning which deflected off the glove of Scherzer, allowing Johnston to reach first. At one point, Scherzer had retired 10-straight Navy batters and he struck out six of the first nine batters he faced.
At the plate, freshman Jacob Priday was 5-for-6 with four RBI and four runs scored, including a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to cap of the day.
Sophomore Gary Arndt, who did not start the game, entered the game in the fifth inning and was 4-for-4. Eleven Tigers had a hit against Navy and nine had at a multi-hit game.
Junior James Boone was just 1-for-5 on the day, but drove in five runs.
Missouri started the scoring early, sending 11 batters to the plate in the first inning and scoring six runs on six hits. MU had scored just one run in the first inning in its previous five games. Junior Derek Chambers drove in the first run of the game with an RBI triple, which extended hits hitting streak to five games and opened the flood gates for the Tigers. Sophomore John McKee followed Chambers with a double to drive in Chambers, extending McKee's hitting streak to six games.
In the fifth inning, with a 7-0 lead, the Tigers doubled their run total with a seven-run inning. They scored the seven runs on just three hits and were helped out with three walks, a hit batter and an error. Three runs would cross the plate on the error, as the Midshipmen's leftfielder mishandled a ball off the bat of junior James Boone.
Mizzou followed the seven-run fifth inning with eight runs in the sixth. The Tigers batted around for the third time in the game, as the first seven batters to the plate in the inning reached safely, six on hits and one with a walk.
Navy (1-3-1) got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, both runs scoring on a double by Johnston. Those runs ended a stretch of 23-scoreless inning by Missouri pitchers dating back to its game against Winthrop last Saturday.
The Service Academy Spring Classic continues on Saturday, with the Tigers taking on Indiana State at 1 p.m. Sophomore Nathan Culp is scheduled to make his second start of the season for MU. All of Mizzou's games are broadcast on KTGR Radio (1580 AM in Columbia) and can be heard online at www.KTGR.com with Tex Little and Luke Cassis calling the action.
