University of Missouri
26-19
Missouri State
31-10
No. 21 Mizzou Falls at In-State Rival Missouri State
4/28/2015 10:57:00 AM | Baseball
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - No. 21 Mizzou baseball surrendered 10 runs over the first four innings as it fell to No. 16 Missouri State, 13-8, on Tuesday evening (April 28) at Hammons Field. The loss drops the Tigers to 26-19 while Missouri State goes to 31-10 on the year. It was just the second meeting between the two teams when both programs were ranked. The game was viewed by 6,497 fans, the largest crowd at Hammons Field since 2004, also against Mizzou.
Junior Josh Lester (Columbus, Ga.) hit his team-leading fifth homer of the season, a three-run shot in a five-run fourth inning. He now leads the team with 32 RBI in 2015. Mizzou also got a two-run single from freshman Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) in the fifth, his first RBIs since spraining his ankle at Tennessee in the series opener on April 9. Sophomore Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning as well, his fourth homer of the year.
Missouri State jumped all over Mizzou starter Andrew Schwaab (St. Charles, Mo.) for seven runs on six hits through the first two innings, the big blow coming in the first on a bases-loaded double Jake Burger, plating three runs. In all, Missouri State scored four in the first and three in the second. Schwaab took the loss, his first of the season.
MSU starter Andy Cheray cruised through the first three innings, facing the minimum with the only baserunner in that span being Brett Peel (St. Charles, Mo.) who reached on a leadoff error. The Bears then tagged reliever Austin Tribby (Springfield, Mo.) for two more runs in the third as they opened a 9-0 lead through three innings. Mizzou finally got to Cheray after a leadoff walk by Peel in the fourth inning. Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) then nearly had extra bases, but a tremendous diving catch right fielder Blake Graham robbed him of a hit. As the catch was made, the lights at Hammons Field went out, forcing a 17-minute stoppage.
After the stoppage, Mizzou's bats got going. Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) singled through the left side and then Lester appeared to hit a three-run homer that drifted just foul. He gathered himself and launched payoff pitch, this time staying fair, for a three-run homer. Bond then singled in a pair to cut the lead to 9-5. All-American Tate Matheny then hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Bears a 10-5 lead after five innings. Things settled down until the bottom of the seventh inning when Missouri State added two more runs off of Tiger reliever Brandon Baker (Lithonia, Ga.).
Mizzou got three of those runs back on Lavy's big fly in the eighth inning, but Missouri State got out of the inning still with a four-run cushion at 12-8. MSU added a run in the ninth inning.
Mizzou opens a four-game homestand with Ole Miss in a three-game SEC series beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouBaseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Perez,Sam (5-1)
L: Schwaab, Andrew (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Lavy, Zach 1
HR: Lester, Josh 1 ; Lavy, Zach 1
RBI: Lester, Josh 3 ; Lavy, Zach 3 ; Bond, Brett 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Peel, Brett 1 ; Howard, Ryan 1 ; Lester, Josh 2 ; Harris, Trey 2 ; Lavy, Zach 2
SB: Peel, Brett 1
HBP: Ring, Jake 1
Batting:
2B: Hawkins,Joey 1 ; Burger,Jake 2 ; Johnson,Spencer 1
3B: Matheny,Tate 1 ; Johnson,Spencer 1
HR: Matheny,Tate 1 ; Graham,Blake 1 ; Fultz,Matt 1
RBI: Becker,Dylan 1 ; Hawkins,Joey 1 ; Matheny,Tate 1 ; Paulsen,Justin 1 ; Cheray,Eric 2 ; Burger,Jake 3 ; Graham,Blake 1 ; Johnson,Spencer 2 ; Fultz,Matt 1
SH: Hawkins,Joey 1
SF: Becker,Dylan 1 ; Paulsen,Justin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Becker,Dylan 2 ; Hawkins,Joey 1 ; Matheny,Tate 3 ; Paulsen,Justin 1 ; Cheray,Eric 2 ; Burger,Jake 1 ; Graham,Blake 1 ; Johnson,Spencer 1 ; Fultz,Matt 1
SB: Burger,Jake 1
CS: Matheny,Tate 1 ; Paulsen,Justin 1
HBP: Matheny,Tate 1 ; Fultz,Matt 1
