University of Missouri
2-0
Florida International
0-2
@MizzouBaseball Thumps FIU, 22-1, Claims Season-Opening Series
2/17/2018 6:24:00 PM | Baseball
Every Tiger starter had a hit while seven Tigers had multi-hit performances
MIAMI – Mizzou Baseball exploded for its most runs in nearly a year as it earned a 22-1 win in game two at Florida International Saturday night (Feb. 17). Mizzou improves to 2-0 on the year and has now won three consecutive regular season weekend series dating back to last season. Every Tiger starter had a hit Saturday and seven Tigers finished with multi-hit performances.
Sophomore preseason All-SEC honoree Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) hit a pair of homers and he has reached base in nine of 12 plate appearances this season (two homers, one triple, one double and five walks).
Junior LHP Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.) earned the win, his first of the season. After he hit the first batter he faced, Plassmeyer retired 10 straight, including four straight strikeouts until FIU finally tagged him for a hit in the fourth inning. He went 5.0 innings, striking out eight while surrendering just one run on three hits with no walks. Mizzou's bullpen then used four first-year pitchers who combined to allow just one hit with six strikeouts over the final four innings.
TURNING POINT
While the turning point in yesterday's Friday night game came in the ninth inning, Saturday's turning point came in the first inning as the first four Tigers reached base, culminating with a bases-loaded single through the left side by senior C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.). Those two runs were the first of four in the frame as INF Mark Vierling (St. Louis, Mo.) and INF Alex Samples (Bridgeport, Texas) each added RBI doubles.
Mizzou then exploded for three more runs in the third inning, two on Kameron Misner's (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) first homer of the year, and three more in the third, one in the fourth and eight more in the fifth. Mizzou was held off the scoreboard in just three of the nine innings Saturday.
QUOTING MIZZOU
Head Coach Steve Bieser:
"Really proud of the way that we just kept the momentum going and we didn't't give up any at-bats. One of our rules is don't give an at-bat away and sometimes whenever you start scoring a lot of runs, you know get up by 10 runs or so, it's very easy to just step in the box and not be locked in and focused. Our guys did a really good job at that all night."
On Michael Plassmeyer…
"One of the things you have to look at with Plass is he's a veteran guy and he knows how to handle things. These games are tough to pitch in and the one thing he did is he never let up. He had to sit down for 20 minutes at a time. It's hard to stay locked in and pound the strike zone like he did. He just had a little lapse there at one point, but being the veteran guy he is he started attacking the strike zone again. That's what our young guys have to look at, a guy like Plass and how he goes about his business. I thought he did an outstanding job."
Kameron Misner:
"I'm just seeing the ball really well and trying to put a good swing on it. It's been a long travel down here, but this is one big family. Seems like everyone knows their role. Everybody loves everybody and it's just a fun time."
TOP TIGERS
- Freshman INF Mark Vierling made his first career start and turned in a 3-for-5 performance with four RBI, including a double and a homer, both of which were the first in his career. He finished a triple shy of the cycle.
- Sophomore Kameron Misner had a multi-homer game, and went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and four runs scored.
- Junior C Brett Bond drove in three, including two runs with his first-inning single.
- Senior OF Trey Harris tallied a career-high four hits.
- LHP Michael Plassmeyer earned his first win of the season, striking out six with just one run on three hits
NOTES
- Mizzou now leads the all-time series with FIU, 6-0.
- Mizzou has now won three consecutive weekend series, dating back to 2017 when it won weekend sets over South Carolina and Tennessee to close the year.
- Mizzou has also won its last two road weekend series.
- Mizzou is 2-0 to open a season for third time since joining the SEC and first time under second-year head coach Steve Bieser.
- Mizzou scored its most runs since a 27-run outing against Eastern Michigan, also in the second game of the season, last year. The 21 hits Saturday are the most since the EMU game as well (22).
- The Tigers' four hits allowed are the fewest for Mizzou since May 19, 2017, at Tennessee when Cole Bartlett threw a complete game, one-hitter.
- Freshman INF Mark Vierling made his first career start and turned in a 3-for-5 performance with four RBI, including a double and a homer, both of which were the first in his career. He finished a triple shy of the cycle.
- Mizzou scored four runs in the first inning, one more than it scored all of Friday night in the season opener.
- Senior Alex Samples hit his first double of the season and drove in his first run of the season.
- Sophomore Kameron Misner tallied his first multi-homer game in his career. He has reached base in nine of 12 plate appearances to open the season (five walks, two homers, a double and a triple off the top of the wall).
- LHP Michael Plassmeyer's eight strikeouts are his most since March 11, 2017, vs. Appalachian State when he had a career-high nine. That is a span of 13 appearances.
- Freshman Cade Bormet tallied his first career double in his first career at-bat, plating two in the top of the fifth inning.
- Senior OF Trey Harris tallied a career-high four hits.
UP NEXT
Mizzou will look for the sweep over Florida International Sunday at 11 a.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).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Plassmeyer, Michael (1-0)
L: ALLEN, L (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Bormet, Cade 1 ; Harris, Trey 1 ; Misner, Kameron 1 ; Cullum, Isaiah 1 ; Vierling, Mark 1 ; Samples, Alex 1
HR: Misner, Kameron 2 ; Vierling, Mark 1
RBI: Bormet, Cade 2 ; Harris, Trey 1 ; Misner, Kameron 5 ; Bond, Brett 3 ; Cullum, Isaiah 2 ; Vierling, Mark 4 ; Samples, Alex 1 ; Berler, Matt 1
SF: Bond, Brett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brumfield, Connor 2 ; Bormet, Cade 2 ; Harris, Trey 4 ; Misner, Kameron 4 ; Bond, Brett 1 ; Vierling, Mark 2 ; Samples, Alex 1 ; Cornelius, Chris 3 ; Berler, Matt 2 ; Ortiz, Tony 1
Batting:
2B: CANNADY, S 1 ; TEIXEIRA, J 1 ; VALDES, J 1
RBI: VALDES, J 1
Base Running:
RUNS: TEIXEIRA, J 1
HBP: SHENTON, A 1
