Missouri Baseball Takes First Two in Three-Game Series
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 1, 1999
For the fourth consecutive season, the Missouri Tigers have won at least 30 games. The Tigers (30-15, 12-11) achieved the mark by defeating Iowa State (16-31, 1-22) 7-6 in the second game of a three-game series. Missouri is also on a large winning streak. The Tigers have now won 16 of their last 18 games. The victory over the Cyclones, however, was nothing but easy.
Missouri opened the bottom of the first inning with five runs. Freshman W.T. Hoover scored on a RBI single by sophomore Jon Williams (2-for-4), putting the Tigers up 1-0. With two outs and the bases loaded, sophomore Nick Wilfong (2-for-4, 5 RBI) hit a grand slam home run to center field, giving Missouri the 5-0 advantage. It was Wilfong's fifth home run and 19th RBI of the season. Senior Aaron Wilson, Williams and sophomore J.R. Warner (3-for-4) all scored on the play.
The second inning remained scoreless. But Missouri's momentum picked up again in the third inning. The Tigers extended their lead to 6-0 with yet another play by Wilfong. Williams crossed home plate off of Wilfong's RBI single. It appeared that nothing could stop Missouri's road to another victory.
But the Cyclones would not allow the game to be kept out of their reach. In the fifth inning, Tom Wierzbicki hit a two RBI triple, allowing Beau Hampton and Spencer Allen to score. It was Wierzbicki's third triple of the season. He went on to score himself on a sacrifice fly by Mack Paciorek. Iowa State's prosperous fifth inning cut Missouri's lead to 6-3.
The Tigers had not scored since the third inning and would not score again until the ninth. Meanwhile, the Cyclones maintained their run and tied the game at six by the end of the seventh inning. Iowa State's Joe Siple scored on a RBI single by Allen in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, Paciorek singled to right center field, hitting in Wierzbicki.
Missouri then replaced right-handed pitcher Chris George with lefty Ryan Jamison. But the change would not make the difference in the remainder of the inning. Iowa State's Siple swung with two strikes against him, but reached first on a passed ball. Paciorek then scored on the same passed ball.
With the game tied 6-6, both teams had an unproductive eighth inning. Iowa State had one hit and Missouri went three-and-out. In the ninth, the Cyclones got a double off of Paciorek, but failed to get him across the plate. Facing two outs, the Tigers were looking for something to keep the game to nine innings. Warner, batting third in the inning, was hit by Charly Bigwood's pitch. He then advanced to second when Williams walked. Another hit by pitch put junior Jake Epstein on first and loaded the bases. On a RBI walk by Wilson, the Tigers rounded the bases and pulled away with the 7-6 victory.
George struggled on the mound for the Tigers. He faced 30 batters, allowing 11 hits and six runs. He struck out five. Pitching in relief, Jamison faced 11 batters, allowing two hits and struck out five batters.
