March 1, 2014
Box Score
COLUMBIA, Mo. - A six-run fourth and a three-run seventh were too much for the Mizzou baseball team to overcome as it fell to IPFW, 11-8, on Saturday morning (March 1) at Gary Hogan Field in Mizzou's first game of the UALR Invitational. Freshman Ryan Howard tallied his first career multi-hit game with three hits and a career-high four RBI and Mizzou walked 11 times, its most since March 5, 2011, against UIC. But Mizzou struggled to slow the Mastodon bats, surrendering 16 hits. The loss drops the Tigers to 3-6 on the season. Breckin Williams took the loss as he drops to 0-1 on the season and IPFW's Kevin Kimball earned the win. Kyle Sorensen earned his first save of the season.
After Tiger starter John Miles allowed an IPFW run on consecutive hits in the top of the first, Mizzou got those runs and more back in the bottom of the second. The first two batters reached after a leadoff walk by Eric Anderson and a single by Zach Lavy. Junior Jake Ivory then came into the box and tried to advance the runners with a sacrifice bunt and laid down a ball to third and Anderson used a heads-up play to round third and score, tying the game at 1-1. Howard then added an RBI single and he later scored on a sacrifice fly from Dillon Everett.
IPFW added another run in the top of the third on a two-out double, scoring nine-hole hitter Lucas Salerno who led off the inning with a walk. But just like earlier in the game, Mizzou answered in its half of the inning thanks to a two-run double by shortstop Ryan Howard for his first career double and first career RBIs, giving Mizzou a 5-2 lead.
Just as quick as Mizzou took the lead, it surrendered it as Miles got into some trouble in the top of the fourth. Miles allowed four runs to score before he was lifted for Ryan Phillips who gave up a two-run homer to Carter LeBoe, driving in his third and fourth runs of the day. That gave the Mastadons an 8-5 lead headed to the bottom of the fourth.
The Tigers got a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth after loading the bases with no outs. Everett tallied a sacrifice fly and Shane Segovia tallied an RBI before the Tigers were retired, but they closed the gap to 8-7. The Tigers then tied the game at 8-8 after Howard's fourth RBI of the day on a groundout in the sixth.
The Tigers then surrendered the lead in the seventh inning as a one-out error by the reliever Williams led to a pair of runs. The Mastadons then added another on a wild pitch as they scored three unearned runs in the inning to take the lead. That was all that they needed at the Tigers failed to add more pressure in their final three innings.
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