University of Missouri
New Orleans
Tigers Split Four Games in the Bayou
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 1, 1999
The Missouri Tigers came home from a four-day trip to New Orleans with a 6-5 record. The Tigers split their four games down south, losing on Thursday at Southern Mississippi by a score of 9-5 while taking two out of three in New Orleans at the UNO Invitational. Missouri defeated Notre Dame on Friday by a score of 13-1 and came from behind to beat Southern Illinois 14-12 on Saturday. The Tigers dropped Sunday's contest to New Orleans 9-4.
The Tigers literally gave Thursday's game away at Southern Miss. Missouri owned a 5-1 lead but fell behind 6-5 on a day where Mizzou ace Justin Stine did not have his good stuff. The Tigers committed two errors and one mental error on a bunt in the eighth inning that led to three more Golden Eagles runs to clinch the 9-5 win.
Friday's game was a whole different story. Missouri pounded the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame by a score of 13-1 behind a dominating pitching performance by junior Jody Harris. Harris gave up just one run on five hits while striking out five in his complete game win. The Tigers broke out for eight runs in the third inning highlighted by two triples by J.R. Warner. Freshman Mick Weiss went 3-for-4 in his first career start with a home run while fellow frosh Ryan Stegall went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI.
Saturday's contest with Southern Illinois had the Tigers trailing 12-4 after 4 1/2 innings, but the Tigers fought all the way the back to defeat the Salukis 14-12 in dramatic fashion. Tiger pitchers Logan Dale and Brian Ackerson gave up 10 earned runs in the first four innings before Mitch Kiler came on to shut the door on the Saluki bats and gave Missouri a chance to win. Mizzou scored three times in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 12-7 and added a single run in the seventh. Then the Tigers hit SIU for six runs in the eighth inning. The Salukis committed five errors including two in the eighth that cost them the game. Stegall led Mizzou with three hits and four RBI including two home runs.
On Sunday, Missouri's starting pitching failed them again, and this time the Tigers were not able to come back. New Orleans tallied two runs in each of the first three innings off of Tiger pitchers Ralph McCasland and P.J. McGinnis and got tremendous pitching throughout. Stegall provided the only offensive output for Mizzou as he hit two more home runs and drove in all four runs.
