University of Missouri
Arizona State
Sun Devils Hand Missouri First Loss of 2007
2/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 15, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz.-- - Mizzou picked up its first loss of the 2007 season, as No. 13 Arizona State took a 7-1 win over the Tigers on Thursday night in Tempe, Ariz. ASU scored all seven of its runs in the fifth and sixth innings and four of Sun Devils' seven runs on the night were unearned.
"We didn't do enough to win tonight," Head Coach Tim Jamieson said. "We didn't take many good swings and we needed to make some plays and didn't. We just didn't do the things that we did well last weekend."
After a scoreless first four innings, Missouri put the first run of the game on the board in the top of the fifth inning. MU loaded the bases with no outs as senior Gary Arndt led off with a single, freshman Aaron Senne drew a walk and sophomore Kyle Mach was hit by a pitch. Arndt would score when junior Evan Frey reached on a fielder's choice.
The lead was short-lived as the Sun Devils scored three times in the bottom of the fifth inning. The first three batters for ASU in the fifth reached safely and all three scored to make it a 3-1 Sun Devil lead after five innings.
The lead stretched to six as ASU put up four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. All four runs were unearned as a Tiger error allowed the inning to continue. ASU got three-consecutive singles then a two-out double from Matt Hall which plated three runs.
Sophomore Ian Berger started on the mound for the first time as a Tiger and faced the minimum through the first four innings before the three-run fifth inning for Arizona State. He allowed three runs on four hits, striking out two in five innings of work.
Sophomore Brant Combs relieved Berger in the sixth and freshman Ryan Allen made his first appearance on the mound for Mizzou, turning in two scoreless innings of work. Allen did not give up a hit and struck out one.
The Tigers and Sun Devils will face off again on Friday as both teams will participate in this weekend's Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise, Ariz. Mizzou take on ASU at Surprise Stadium at 7 p.m. MT (8 p.m. CT) on Friday, before matchups with Gonzaga on Saturday and Oregon State on Sunday.
