March 11, 2014
Box Score Game 1 |
Notes Game 1 | Box Score Game 2 | Notes Game 2 | Photo Gallery
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou baseball team (8-7) battled through a rain delay en-route to a doubleheader sweep over Alcorn State Tuesday (March 11) at Taylor Stadium. The Tigers had a big day at the dish, with Shane Segovia (Sinton, Texas) and Eric Anderson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) both hitting the first home runs of their careers. Kendall Keeton (Columbia, Tenn.) extended his on-base streak to 15 games, going 7-for-8 at the dish in the two games, scoring three runs and driving in one. Freshman shortstop Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) also had a strong day, going 4-for-8 with five RBI. Mizzou as a whole has scored in the first inning of five of its last six games, winning all five of those contests.
Starters Griffin Goodrich (Kirkwood, Mo.) and Peter Fairbanks (St. Louis, Mo.) both had notable days on the mound, with Goodrich setting a career mark in innings and strikeouts, with six and seven, respectively, en route to an 11-5 win. Fairbanks recorded his first start in game two, throwing four shutout innings before having his day cut short by a rain delay. The righty still claimed the win, a 5-0 final, Missouri's second shutout in its last six games.
Segovia put Mizzou ahead early, blasting his first career homer off the scoreboard in left to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead before Alcorn State recorded its first out in the field, scoring Anderson. The Braves answered, pushing a run across in the second as three straight batters reached base to cut the deficit to 2-1. The visitors then knotted the game at two in the third inning with a two-out double off the bat of Ashton Lewis. Mizzou broke the tie in the next frame, though, tacking on two runs off the bats of Keeton and Howard, who doubled in Keeton for a 4-2 lead.
The Tigers tagged ASU starter Colton Laird for four runs over the next two innings, including Anderson's first career home run, Zach Lavy's (Auxvasse, Mo.) first career extra base hit, and Jack Klages' (St. Louis, Mo.) first career RBI to make it 8-2 for the home squad after five. Goodrich was chased in the seventh after allowing the first two runners to reach base, and ASU tacked on a third run after Andrew Schwaab (St. Charles, Mo.) took over on the bump to reduce its deficit to 8-3. Two more runs for the Braves further cut the Mizzou lead, but Breckin Williams (Oronogo, Mo.) held Alcorn State at bay and held on to an 8-5 lead. Mizzou plated three in the bottom of the eighth, including Keaton Steele's (St. Joseph, Mo.) first RBI of the season, to take an 11-5 lead into the game's final frame, where Williams shut the door to seal a Mizzou win.
Dylan Kelly (Roswell, Ga.) roped a RBI single in the top of the bottom of the first of game two, putting the Tigers on top early and Anderson's sac fly in the second inning put Mizzou ahead 2-0 at the end of two. The game went into a weather delay in the middle of the fourth inning which lasted an hour and 47 minutes, and Howard reopened play with a double to left, though he was left stranded. Steele entered to pitch in the fifth, throwing a scoreless frame as Mizzou padded its lead in the bottom of the inning with three more runs, two coming on a RBI double from Howard and the third off Kelly's bat.
Austin Tribby (Springfield, Mo.) replaced Steele after the senior pitcher went three scoreless frames, striking out four and allowing only one hit. Tribby threw the game's final two innings, two shutout frames to close the door on a 5-0 final.
Mizzou plays No. 17 Tennessee on Friday (March 14) at 6 p.m. to open SEC play. For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, follow the team on Twitter (@mizzoubaseball) or check in to MUTigers.com.
