Feb. 27, 2010
Box Score
AUBURN, Ala.- -
The first five players in the Missouri batting order recorded multiple-hit games and senior Aaron Senne hit two home runs as Mizzou defeated Auburn, 11-7, on Saturday at the Auburn Classic. The win was the fourth-straight for the Tigers. The top five spots in the MU lineup accounted for 13 of Mizzou's 14 hits in the game.
Senne became the first Tiger to record a multi-home run game since Greg Folgia hit two home runs against Kansas in May of last season. Senne finished the game 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI. He leads the team with three home runs on the year.
Sophomore Russell LaFleur and junior Brett Nicholas set career highs with three hits a piece on the day, while freshman Blake Brown and junior Jonah Schmidt each had two hits. Schmidt added three RBI in the game.
Missouri (4-1) scored a run in each of the first two innings, but trailed as Auburn scored two runs in the bottom of the first and added a run in the second. Both of MU's runs were scored on sacrifice flies, one by Schmidt in the first inning and the second by senior Michael Liberto in the second.
Senne gave Mizzou a 4-3 lead after he connected on a two-run home run in the top of the third inning. He added a second home run on the day as part of duo that went back-to-back in the fifth. Schmidt started by hitting a solo shot over the left-center field wall and Senne followed with a homer to right field to extend the MU lead to 6-3.
With the two home runs, Senne moved into a tie for ninth place on the school's career homers list. He now has 29 in his four years at Missouri and is tied with Tom Ciombor (1984-87). Senne is three away from moving into a tie for eighth place with Chris Wyrick (1990-93). The school record is 48, set by Jacob Priday, who played for Mizzou from 2005-08.
A pair of two-out hits by Auburn (3-2) in the bottom of the fifth inning led to two runs. The second hit was a two-run single by Brian Fletcher to shrink the MU lead to one at 6-5.
Missouri pushed that lead to five after plating four runs in its half of the sixth inning. The first five batters of the inning reached safely with a hit-by-pitch, a walk and four-consecutive singles from LaFleur, Brown, Nicholas and Schmidt. Brown, Nicholas and Schmidt each drove in a run with their base hits. Senne reached on a fielders' choice with Brown scoring on the play.
The Tigers took an 11-5 advantage by scoring a run in the top of the seventh when Nicholas singled to drive in Liberto. However, the lead went back to five as Auburn plated a run in the bottom half of the inning. In the ninth, Auburn scored one to make the final margin of victory four.
Junior Nick Tepesch earned the win for the Tigers to move to 1-0 on the year. He struck out three and walked one, allowing five runs on seven hits.
Missouri will close out play at the Auburn Classic on Sunday when it faces Boston College. First pitch between the Tigers and BC is set for 11 a.m. at Hitchcock Field.
