University of Missouri
Ball State
Mizzou Splits Doubleheader with Ball State
3/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 7, 2009
COLUMBIA, Mo. - - Missouri defeated Ball State, 18-5 in game two of a Saturday doubleheader at Taylor Stadium after dropping the first game of the day by a 14-5 score.
The 18 runs the Tigers put on the board in game two are the most scored this season. Mizzou trailed 3-2 in the third inning when junior Trevor Coleman connected on a two-run home run to put the Tigers ahead. Senior Steve Gray followed Coleman to the plate and tripled into centerfield. He scored on the play when the BSU centerfielder had trouble fielding the ball.
Mizzou (5-8) pull away late in the game by scoring 12 runs in its final three at-bats. The Tigers put five runs on the board in the sixth, scored twice in the seventh inning and put five more across the plate in the eighth inning.
Freshman Conner Mach was 4-for-5 in the game, driving in three runs and scoring twice. Junior Greg Folgia had three hits, including a seventh-inning solo home run. He scored four times in the game.
Junior Ian Berger picked up his first win of the season. He went five innings and matched a career high with nine strikeouts. After giving up a two-run homer in the top of the second inning, Berger struck out the next five batters he faced.
Sophomore Tyler Clark pitched three shutout innings in relief and Folgia pitched the ninth for MU.
The game two win came after a 14-5 loss in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader. The Cardinals (5-3) scored seven runs in the first two innings to jump out to an early lead. They added three more in the fourth and scored twice in the fifth inning to make it a 12-1 lead.
The Tigers used eight pitchers in the contest.
Conner Mach added two hits in the first game, finishing 6-for-9 for the doubleheader. Gray hit his first home run of the season in the seventh inning, as he connected on a two-run shot.
Missouri and Ball State will conclude the four-game series on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m. Sophomore Nick Tepesch is slated to get the start for the Tigers.
