May 8, 2010
Box Score
LAWRENCE, Kan. - -
A six-run bottom of the fourth inning led Kansas past Missouri by a score of 9-8 on Saturday night in game two of a three-game series in Lawrence, Kan. The loss drops the Tigers to 24-21 on the season and 7-12 in the Big 12, while Kansas is now 28-19-1 overall and 9-10-1 in the league.
With Mizzou holding a 7-6 lead after three-and-a-half innings, the Jayhawks scored six times on five hits, three walks and an error in their half of the fourth. They would add a run in the fifth to go up 8-6.
The Tigers pulled even when redshirt freshman Andreas Plackis delivered a two-run double in the top of the sixth inning. Plackis also singled in the third to finish the game with two hits.
Kansas pushed what would be the game-winning run across the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting a double from Brett Lisher to start the inning and later in the frame getting a sacrifice fly off the bat of Brian Heere to drive in Lisher.
The Tigers had built a 6-1 lead before Kansas' six-run fourth inning. Mizzou senior Michael Liberto extended his hitting streak to eight games as he singled to lead off the game. Liberto would score on a base hit from junior Brett Nicholas. Then, after Plackis was hit by a pitch, freshman Eric Garcia delivered a two-out double to drive in Nicholas and Plackis capping a three-run top of the first inning.
After Kansas scored one run in the bottom of the first inning, the Tigers plated a run in each of the next three innings on sacrifice flies from senior Aaron Senne and junior Jonah Schmidt and a second RBI single from Nicholas.
Nicholas, who had a 19-game hitting streak snapped on Friday night, was 2-for-5 on Saturday, with two RBI and a pair of runs scored. He has had a hit in 35 of the 44 games in which he's had an at-bat this season and Saturday was his 24th multi-hit game.
Garcia recorded his second-straight two-hit game, finishing 2-for-5 with two RBI, while sophomore Ryan Gebhart added two hits on the night.
The final game of the three-game series is Sunday at 1 p.m. in Lawrence, Kan.
