University of Missouri
Middle Tennessee
Tigers Eliminate Middle Tennessee, 13-7, Behind Hill's Gem
5/31/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 31, 2003
STARKVILLE, Miss - Mizzou to face Mississippi State/North Carolina loser at 7 p.m. Saturday night
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Junior right-hander Danny Hill (Weimer, Texas) made a masterful start Saturday morning, notching career highs with 11 strikeouts in 7-2/3 innings, to lead No. 3 seed Missouri to a 13-7 win over No. 4 Middle Tennessee in an NCAA Starkville Regional elimination game.
The Tigers (36-21) advance to a 7 p.m. elimination game against the loser between No. 1 and host Mississippi State and No. 2 North Carolina, who play at 3 p.m. Despite two home runs and a 3-for-4 day at the plate from Brett Carroll, the Blue Raiders end their season at 33-27.
Hill (5-2) gave up seven hits and six runs (five earned) without walking a batter, and the Mizzou offense woke up in a big way at Dudy Noble Field. Every starter scored, and all but one got a hit.
"The key to the game was two things," Head Coach Tim Jamieson said. "One is the guy sitting at the end of the table [Hill]. He gave us 7-2/3 innings, struck out 11 and really gave our offense a chance to feel comfortable and play with confidence. The second thing would be our approach at the plate. We finally got back to doing some things we had been doing when we are playing well and that is hitting the ball up the middle and taking what pitchers give us."
The first five Tigers hit safely to take a 3-0 lead after one inning. Senior CF Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.) bunted to the third baseman for his 19th bunt single of the season, and scored on junior SS Ian Kinsler's (Tucson, Ariz.) double to right-center. Junior DH Ryan Rallo (Chesterfield, Mo.) and freshman 3B Zane Taylor (Kirksville, Mo.) followed with RBI singles up the middle. Junior C Brad Flanders (Smithville, Mo.) also singled in the frame.
With his first-inning run, Tingler passed All-American Ryan Fry (1995-98) as Mizzou's all-time run scorer. Tingler, who now is the Tigers' career leader in hits, walks and runs, has now scored 225 times in his four years.
Mizzou chased Blue Raider starter John Williams in the third when the Tigers scored two more runs. Taylor led off with a walk and scored on a Flanders double to right-center, and the Mizzou catcher came home on a bases-loaded single through the right side by junior 2B Jeremy Hernandez (Aptos, Calif.). Things didn't fare much better for reliever Chris Mobley, who walked sophomore LF Bo Davis (Tulsa, Okla.) and gave up a two-run single up the middle to Tingler. Rallo followed with a one-out RBI groundout to plate Davis. When all was said and done, the Tigers had a 9-0 lead through three.
Hill gave up only a wind-blown double entering the fifth, when Carroll hit a two-run shot to left to end the shutout bid, yet the Tigers extended the lead to 10 runs (12-2) in the bottom half of the inning as Tingler doubled over the first-baseman's glove, Kinsler singled up the middle and scored along with Taylor on a throwing error by MT shortstop Jeff Beachum.
Middle Tennessee scored four runs in the eighth to pull within five at 12-7. Beachum singled, and he came home on a double by Chad Cooper. Nate Jaggers had an RBI groundout to end Hill's day. Junior RHP Mark Alexander (Independence, Mo.) came in and gave up Carroll's second homer before retiring Marcus Taylor on a bouncer to first.
Davis hit his first career triple in the eighth and finished with his first multi-RBI game since Feb. 23 vs. Northern Iowa.
