@MizzouBaseball Escapes FIU With Opening-Day Win

Friday, February 16

Miami, Fla.

6 p.m. (CT)

University of Missouri

1-0

Florida International

0-1

Missouri

FIU

2/16/2018 10:04:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Preseason All-American T.J. Sikkema earned his first win of 2018 after striking out seven over 5.0 relief innings

MIAMI – Mizzou Baseball scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning on a pair of wild pitches to escape host Florida International with a 3-1, opening day win. Sophomore LHP and Preseason All-American T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) was outstanding in relief, throwing 5.0 innings while striking out a seven, his most in a relief outing since March 4 of last season vs. UIC. He allowed just one earned run on four hits in the win.

Junior OF Zach Hanna (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) hit his first Division I homer in the top of the sixth inning Friday, giving Mizzou a 1-0 lead while turning in a two-hit night. Florida International tied the game in the bottom of the sixth but Mizzou took advantage of a leadoff error in the ninth and the two wild pitches to escape with the season-opening win.

Reliever Nile Ball got the final out of the game after a 4-6-3 double play, induced by Sikkema, in the ninth to earn his first Division I save.

TURNING POINT

Junior 3B Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) reached base on a leadoff error in the top of the ninth inning and that spelled doom for the home Panthers. After a Chris Cornelius (St. Louis, Mo.) walk, a successful sacrifice moved the runners up and both scored on wild pitches to give Mizzou a 3-1 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth inning. The first two Panther batters reached base against Sikkema, but a big 4-6-3 double play, Mizzou's second of the night, squelched the threat before Nile Ball retired the final batter of the game.

QUOTING MIZZOU

Head Coach Steve Bieser:
"What a great team win. We got those two runs (in the ninth) without getting a hit. We really got some clutch performances, great execution, great at-bats when it really counted. We didn't come away with a lot of hits, but at the end of the day our pitching staff did an outstanding job."

LHP T.J. Sikkema:
"I was just digging deep inside and I kept knowing that my preparation was good enough. I trusted the guys behind me. It worked out. (Brett) Bond had a great game behind the plate, which helped me."

TOP TIGERS

Junior OF Zach Hanna (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) hit his first Division I homer Friday, giving Mizzou a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning. He was one of two Tigers who turned in multi-hit games.
Sophomore LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) struck out seven batters over 5.0 innings, his most strikeouts in a relief outing since March 4, 2017, vs. UIC.
Sophomore Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) reached base four times while drawing a career-high three walks.
Junior 3B Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) turned in a multi-hit game as well.

NOTES

Mizzou now leads the all-time series with FIU, 5-0.
Mizzou is now 77-39-2 all-time in series openers.
Mizzou is now 1-1 all-time in season-openers under head coach Steve Bieser.
Mizzou played a true road game to open the season for the first time since 2013 on Friday. Mizzou has won the last two such contests.
Junior OF Zach Hanna's homer in the sixth inning was his first hit as a Tiger and first hit at the Division I level after transferring in from Iowa Western CC. His two-hit performance was his first Division I multi-hit game as well.
Sophomore Kameron Misner tallied his second career triple in the top of the first inning. He reached base four times Friday, including a career-high three walks.
Freshman INF Mark Vierling reached base on a walk to lead off the fifth inning, reaching base in his first career collegiate at-bat. It was the first time a Mizzou batter reached base to lead off an inning.
Junior 3B Brian Sharp tallied his first multi-hit game of the 2018 season.
Sophomore T.J. Sikkema tallied
Mizzou allowed just six hits Friday, its fewest in a season-opener since 2016 (four vs. Seton Hall).

UP NEXT

Mizzou will continue its series with Florida International Saturday at 5 p.m. (CT). For all the latest on Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouBaseball) and like the team on Facebook (Mizzou Baseball) and Instagram (missouri_baseball).