April 27, 2003
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Texas A&M RF Cory Patton hit two more homers on Sunday, including a game-winning two-run shot in the fifth inning, to lead the 13th-ranked Aggies to a 9-8 win over No. 19 Mizzou at Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field.
The win earned a series victory for the Aggies (35-13, 14-7 Big 12), who remained in third place in the league standings. Mizzou (28-15, 12-8), pending the outcome of the Oklahoma/Oklahoma State finale, will stand percentage points ahead of or behind the Cowboys in a battle for fourth place.
The loss overshadowed a touching pre-game ceremony in which Tiger legend Phil Bradley became the first player in 109 seasons of Mizzou baseball to have his number retired from future use. His No. 15 now joins former coaches John "Hi" Simmons and Gene McArtor on the Simmons Field outfield wall.
Minutes later, 2003 Tigers took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Junior C Brad Flanders (Smithville, Mo.) and junior 1B Cody Ehlers (Stillwater, Okla.) hit back-to-back RBI singles off Zach Dixon. Freshman 3B Zane Taylor (Kirksville, Mo.) scored on Flanders' hit, and was joined by junior SS Ian Kinsler (Tucson, Ariz.) on Ehlers'. Flanders then came home on a double by junior LF Ryan Rallo (Chesterfield, Mo.).
Mizzou added a run in the second with the help of a perfectly executed hit-and-run by Taylor that allowed senior CF Jayce Tingler (Smithvile, Mo.) to move to third. Tingler then came home on an error by A&M third baseman Cliff Pennington.
Despite scoring in each of the first six innings, the Tigers trailed starting by the fifth. The Aggies batted around in the third, getting seven straight hits with one out off Tiger junior Derek Roper (Elk City, Okla.). Included in that stretch was Patton's first homer of the game, a three-run shot, as the Aggies tied the game at 4-4 through 2-1/2 innings.
Mizzou took its second and final lead in the bottom half when junior RF Kyle Johnson (Omaha, Neb.) hit an opposite-field homer - his first non-grand-slam of the year - to left off Dixon for a 5-4 advantage.
Patton hit his second homer, and fourth of the series, in the fifth off freshman Nick Admire (Lebanon, Mo.), who took his first loss of the season (0-1), as the Aggies took a 9-6 lead. The Tigers got a run in the fifth with a Tingler sacrifice fly and another in the sixth on an Ehlers RBI single to right-center to pull within 9-8, yet Mizzou wasted chances in both the seventh and eighth.
In the seventh, Mizzou had runners at second and third with one out, yet Scott Beerer, who picked up his ninth save, got Kinsler and Taylor to strike out. In the eighth, the Tigers had runners at first and second and no one out. Rallo was out after popping out to third on a bunt attempt, and the Aggies then got out of the inning when Flanders was doubled off second following Johnson's flyout to left.
"It was a tough loss because of the opportunities we had," Head Coach Tim Jamieson said. "You can break the game down as much as you want; we just didn't make the plays when it counted. We made Patton an All-American today. He had some great swings, but we gave him some pitches that we shouldn't have."
The Tigers take a short trip on I-70 on Tuesday over to T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Mo., for the first of two mid-week games at the home of the River City Rascals. Mizzou will face Saint Louis at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the annual Wood-Bat Game. The Tigers' next game in Columbia comes Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Southeast Missouri State.