#15 @MizzouBaseball Uses Benes’ Bomb, Houck’s Arm In 4-1 Win

Saturday, February 20

Fort Myers, Fla.

12 p.m. (CST)

University of Missouri

2-0

Seton Hall

0-2

Seton Hall

Mizzou

#15 @MizzouBaseball Uses Benes’ Bomb, Houck’s Arm In 4-1 Win

2/20/2016 3:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

FORT MYERS, Fla. – No. 15 Mizzou Baseball used a solid start from sophomore Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) and eight stolen bases and a big two-run homer from sophomore Shane Benes (Town & Country, Mo.) to earn a 4-1 win over Seton Hall on Saturday (Feb. 20) at City of Palms Park. Mizzou is now 2-0 for the second consecutive season and has allowed just one run in 18.0 innings of play in 2016. Mizzou was heled to just four hits in the win, but drew five walks and stole eight bases – the most for Mizzou since 2011 – to manufacture runs. Benes' bomb in the third proved to be the difference.

Houck went 6.0 innings, allowing seven hits while striking out nine and walking three. The nine strikeouts match a career-high for Houck, who also had nine in his last collegiate start against Alabama in the SEC Tournament last season. He now has at least eight strikeouts in each of his last three starts. Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) earned his first career save in the win, tossing a shutout ninth.

Mizzou's stolen base barrage was highlighted by Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.), who stole three bases, just one off of the school record and the most by a Tiger since Conner Mach stole four in March of 2011 against Le Moyne.

Houck got into some trouble early in the first, walking the leadoff hitter and allowing a hit as the first two batters reach. After a sacrifice bunt, Houck got a huge pickoff at first base for the second out. He then struck out cleanup hitter Joe Poduslenko looking at a fastball to end the threat.

Mizzou then used the momentum of getting out of the first inning jam to put Seton Hall into a jam of its own. The first three Tiger batters walked, loading the bases. After a strikeout by Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.), Benes lifted a ball to deep left and missed a grand slam by about two feet, but it resulted in a sacrifice fly to stake Mizzou to a 1-0 lead.

Seton Hall loaded the bases in the second, but a Houck strikeout and a great 3-2-3 double play, started and finished by Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) got Houck out of the second unscathed.

With runners on the corners and no outs in the second, Kirby McGuire (Round Rock, Texas) hit into a double play to score a run, giving Mizzou a 2-0 lead without recording a hit. Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) then tallied Mizzou's first hit with two outs in the second.

Mizzou got more run support for Houck in the third on Benes' two-run homer, his second of the season and second in as many games.

Seton Hall finally halted Mizzou's shutout inning streak at 14.1 in the top of the sixth on an RBI double by Mikael-Ali Mogues. Houck pitched through the sixth and senior Austin Tribby (Springfield, Mo.) relieved him and worked around a leadoff single in the seventh. He then held Seton Hall off the board in the eighth and Bartlett came in to shut the door in the ninth.

The two teams will play again Saturday with LHP Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.) scheduled to get the start. For all the latest on Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouBaseball) and like the team on Instagram and Facebook (Mizzou Baseball).

Postgame Notes

Mizzou is now 2-0 to open the season for the second consecutive year.
Seton Hall scored its first run of the series in the top of the sixth inning, snapping Mizzou's 14.1 inning shutout streak to open the season.
Mizzou scored its first two runs of the game without getting a hit and had five stolen bases and four walks in the opening two frames.
Junior SS Ryan Howard tallied a single in the second inning, giving him a four-game hitting streak dating back to last season.
Junior Jake Ring tallied a hit in the seventh inning, extending his hitting streak to six straight games, dating back to last season. He has reached base safely in seven consecutive games as well.
Sophomore Shane Benes hit his second homer of the season, doing so in the first two games of the year. That matches his total from 2015 (19 games, 71 at-bats). He needed just five ABs and two games to totally his two homers in 2016.
Mizzou stole eight bases in game one of the doubleheader Saturday, its most since stealing eight against Le Moyne on March 12, 2011. That is just three of off the school record (10) set vs. Nebraska in 1956.
Ring tallied three stolen bases, the most by a single Tiger since Conner Mach had four in the previously mentioned game against Le Moyne in 2011.
The nine strikeouts match a career-high for Tanner Houck, who also had nine in his last collegiate start against Alabama in the SEC Tournament last season. He now has at least eight strikeouts in each of his last three starts.
RS sophomore Cole Bartlett earned his first career save on Saturday, tossing a shutout ninth inning.