April 22, 2003
COLUMBIA, Mo. - A couple of defensive miscues in the seventh inning allowed Southwest Missouri State to come from behind and post a 2-1 win over the No. 19-ranked Missouri baseball team at Price Cutter Park on Tuesday night.
The loss by the Tigers (27-13) spoiled a pair of stellar pitching performances by Sophomore RHP Garrett Broshuis (Advance, Mo.) and freshman RHP Nick Admire (Lebanon, Mo.). Broshuis made a brilliant mid-week start for Mizzou, striking out five of the six Bears he faced in retiring the side in order in the first two innings. Broshuis was pulled for Admire after hitting a two-inning limit that was set before the game; in his 20 pitches, he didn't go to a three-ball count on any batter.
Admire picked up where Broshuis left off, retiring the bottom of the Bear order and striking out a pair in both the third and fourth innings. SMS (24-15) got its first hit in the fifth on a fly ball to left by Tim Rafferty that got lost in the lights. Rafferty took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a flyout to center. Yet Admire was able to get Justin Marcum to strike out looking for his fifth punch-out of the night. In three innings in front of his old Lebanon High School teammates, Admire allowed just one hit, didn't walk a batter and struck out five to tie his season high.
The Tigers' Smithville Connection hooked up for Mizzou's first run in the top of the third. Senior CF Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.) led off with a double down the right-field line, and then with two out, junior C Brad Flanders (Smithville, Mo.) singled Tingler home on a 2-1 pitch to left field off SMS' Rick Wilson (3-2).
Another freshman, lefty Taylor Parker (Bellaire, Texas), entered in the sixth and continued Mizzou's strong pitching by throwing seven pitches in a 1-2-3 inning.
Errors hurt the Tigers in the seventh. Brooks Colvin singled down the left-field line, and moved to second when freshman LF Tyler Williams (Delta, British Columbia), in as a defensive replacement, couldn't come up with the ball. Wilson then reached base when junior 3B Jeremy Hernandez (Aptos, Calif.) threw wildly to first on Wilson's sacrifice bunt attempt. Colvin scored an unearned run, and Wilson took second on the error. Wilson was then sacrificed to third by Clay Wheeler before Parker (0-1) was replaced by junior RHP Andy Shipman (Bellevue, Neb.). Shipman gave up a first-pitch single up the middle to Rafferty to bring in Wilson before striking out Greg Mathis to end the inning.
Wilson, meanwhile, had retired the Tigers in order from the fourth through the seventh innings before freshman 2B Adam Garrett (Sikeston, Mo.) singled to left to force SMS to shuffle its defensive lineup. Shortstop Shaun Marcum was brought in to replace Wilson, who moved to left field. Marcum got Tingler to fly out, and Garrett was picked off first, and junior SS Ian Kinsler (Tucson, Ariz.) and junior 1B Cody Ehlers (Stillwater, Okla.) were stranded with singles after Marcum was able to get a flyout from Flanders to end the inning. Marcum then retired the Tigers in order in the ninth for his ninth save.
"It really comes down to one inning and not making the outs," Head Coach Tim Jamieson said. "We gave them two runs, and that was enough tonight. You can't ask more of our pitchers. SMS didn't hit a ball hard all night. We just needed to make plays, and we didn't."
The Tigers return home this weekend for a three-game Big 12 Conference series against No. 13 Texas A&M. The series opens on Friday, April 25, with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch at Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field. For ticket information, please call 1-800-CAT-PAWS (573-884-PAWS in mid-Missouri).