University of Missouri
Kent State
McKee's Grand Slam Lifts Tigers past Kent State
6/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 1, 2007
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
COLUMBIA, Mo. - A record 3,481 fans piled into Taylor Stadium to watch game two of the 2007 NCAA Baseball Columbia Regional in which the Missouri Tigers used a grand slam by senior John McKee to overpower the Kent State Golden Flashes 10-2. Tiger Pitcher Aaron Crow threw nine innings allowing two runs on five hits to earn the win. The complete game was his second of the season.
Flashes pitcher Chris Carpenter, a projected first round draft pick was slated with the loss giving up six runs on six hits in five innings. The grand slam by McKee was the first home run Carpenter has given up all season.
The win was the Tigers first ever win in the opening round of regional competition since 1991.
Starting on the hill for the Tigers, Crow, the Big 12 leader with 81 strikeouts, started the game by sitting down the first four Flashes batters in order. After he allowed a hit, the Tiger defense picked him up tallying a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the second inning. Carpenter, the Flashes starter, also opened the game in impressive fashion, sitting down the first seven Tiger batters.
The pitchers duel continued into the fourth inning until Missouri sophomore Ryan Lollis reached on a leadoff single up the middle. Tiger designated hitter Jacob Priday followed that with a double off the right field wall, advancing Lollis to third. Next up for the Tigers, catcher Trevor Coleman started the scoring, hitting a single up the middle bringing home both runners. Coleman went 2-4 with two RBI and one run.
Crow needed clutch pitching to get out of a jam in the top of the sixth inning. The Flashes led off the inning with back-to-back singles by Brad Winter and Will Vazquez, but Crow induced two pop flies, and struck out Kent State's Doug Sanders swinging to end the threat.
The Tigers scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend their lead. Carpenter walked the first two batters that he faced in the inning, and followed that up by giving up a single to Coleman. McKee was next up for the Tigers and worked the count full before hitting the grand slam, extending the Tiger lead to 6-0. Junior Evan Frey tallied another RBI with a single up the middle, ending the scoring in the sixth.
Kent State started rally in the top of the seventh inning, as senior Greg Rohan blasted a two-run homer over the left field wall. The homerun was his 12th of the season, and gave him his 43rd and 44th RBI on the year, and made the score 7-2.
Using a two run single by sophomore Ryan Lollis, the Tigers used a three run eighth to provide some insurance. After allowing a lead off single in the ninth, Crow struck out the next three Kent State batters to earn the win.
