COLLEGE STATION, Texas - No. 23 Mizzou baseball dropped the series opener against top-ranked Texas A&M, 7-4, on Friday night (March 27) at Blue Bell Park. Mizzou falls to 19-8 (5-2 SEC) while Texas A&M goes to 26-1 (6-1 SEC).

Mizzou rallied from down, 3-0, to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth inning, but Texas A&M added two more runs off of Tiger starter Reggie McClain (Duluth, Ga.) in the bottom part of the inning to put the game out of reach. McClain took the loss, just his second of the season, as he tossed 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits while striking out five and walking just one.

Freshman Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) led the Tigers at the dish, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, his third three-hit game this season. Sophomore Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) added a pair of hits with a run. Senior Brett Peel (St. Charles, Mo.) also reached base for the 24th consecutive game in the loss. Freshman Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) went 2-for-5 with a double, RBI and a run. The difference in the game was Mizzou stranding nine runners on base against A&M leaving just six. Andrew Vinson earned the win of the Aggies, his third of the season.

In a matchup between the reigning Co-SEC Pitchers of the Week, McClain and A&M starter Grayson Long lived up to the billing early. An error in the third gave Mizzou a chance to get on the board. Case Munson (St. Charles, Mo.) chopped a ball to short that was booted by Aggie SS Blake Allemand. Brett Peel (St. Charles, Mo.) was then hit by a pitch and Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases with just one out. But Harris then struck out and Josh Lester (Columbus, Ga.) popped up to end the threat.

Long seemed to settle in after that scare and the offense gave him some support in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nick Banks doubled off the wall in left with one out and was singled home by Logan Taylor. McClain then got a pickoff to get out of the jam. But A&M jumped all over him for two more runs in the fifth inning, due in large part to a pair of hit batters and an error by McClain.

Mizzou then tied the game in the top of the sixth, using five consecutive singles, three off of Long, to pull within one at 3-2. Chris Akmon (Scottsdale, Ariz.) then came up with the bases loaded and still no one out, but he bounced into a 6-4-3 double play, but that did tie the game at 3-3.

McClain came back out in the bottom of the sixth in what was a new ballgame for the righty. After he retired the leadoff batter Taylor, but he then surrendered three consecutive hits as A&M plated a pair of runs to regain a 5-3 lead. That ended his day in favor of lefty Austin Tribby (Springfield, Mo.), who got the Tigers through the frame, limiting the damage.

Brett Peel (St. Charles, Mo.) singled to lead off the top of the seventh inning and then was sacrificed to second by Ring, but he was stranded there to end the frame. A&M then added two more runs in the bottom of the eight to put the game away despite Harris' RBI double in the ninth.

Mizzou and Texas A&M will play game two of the series tomorrow at 1 p.m. on SEC Network with Mike Morgan and Gabe Gross on the call. Mizzou will send freshman righty Tanner Houck (3-1, 3.02 ERA) to the mound against Texas A&M's Kyle Simonds (2-0, 0.00 ERA). For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouBaseball.