COLUMBIA, Mo. - South Carolina used dominant pitching and crisp defensive play to edge Mizzou, 7-5, on Sunday (March 22) at Taylor Stadium. The No. 6 Gamecocks escaped Columbia with just one win in a weekend series with the Tigers. With the loss, Mizzou moves to 18-6 on the year, and boasts an impressive 5-1 mark in conference play.

The Tigers jumped on the board early, scoring three runs in the first frame. Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) got the scoring started for Mizzou as he dribbled a ball down the third base line to bring home Brett Peel (St. Charles, Mo.) for the first run of the game. In the next at bat, Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) doubled to left field and drove in two runs to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead after the first inning.

The Gamecocks battled back in the middle innings, slowly clawing their way back into the game. An RBI triple for South Carolina's Gene Cone proved to be trouble in the third inning as it broke up the shutout and brought the Gamecocks within 90-feet of a one-run ballgame. South Carolina tied the game in the sixth inning when Cone blooped a single into shallow centerfield to score a runner from second base. They took the lead in the seventh when they squeaked a groundball through the right side of the infield to plate a run.

True to their form, Mizzou battled back, putting pressure on the Gamecocks until the final out of the game. Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) brought the Tigers within one run in the eighth inning when he doubled down the left field line, scoring Josh Lester (Columbus, Ga.) and Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.). Despite that, the Gamecocks added an insurance run in the ninth and closed the door on the Tigers' comeback hopes.

Mizzou hosts a midweek series with Arkansas-Pine Bluff that begins on Tuesday (March 24) at 1:05 p.m.After that, the Tigers will head down to College Station, Texas, to continue conference play and face Texas A&M. For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, follow the team on twitter (@MizzouBaseball) or check in to MUTigers.com