@MizzouBaseball Drops Series Finale to LSU

Sunday, April 17

Columbia, Mo.

1 p.m.

University of Missouri

20-18, 4-11

LSU

25-11, 9-6

LSU

Mizzou

4/17/2016 3:43:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball dropped the final game of a three game series against No. 9 LSU Sunday (April 17) at Taylor Stadium, 15-2. Freshman LHP Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.) took the loss, throwing 4.2 innings, allowing eight hits, five earned runs, one walk and two strikeouts while LSU's John Valek III earned his sixth win of the season. Mizzou now sits at 20-18, and 4-11 in SEC play.

Sophomore C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) led Mizzou at the plate, tallying his first three-hit game of the season while tallying his team-leading sixth homer of the season. Senior 1B Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) extended his hitting streak to a career-long 10 games, the longest such streak by a Mizzou player this season. He did so on an eighth-inning double, his 15^th of the season. He now leads the SEC in extra-base hits at 25 and his 15 doubles match the most by a Mizzou player since 2011 (17 by Jonah Schmidt).

In the top of the first LSU's bats started off hot, scoring five runs. The Tigers led with three straight base hits scoring one, and an error by freshman INF Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) brought in another run, making it 2-0. After two runs scored, another base hit down the right field line brought in the third run, then a fielders choice followed by another base hit brought in the last two runs of the inning.

Mizzou struck back in the bottom of the second scoring one run with two singles by sophomore OF Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) and sophomore C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.), and a fielders choice by Sharp to bring in Harris.

R-Sophomore RHP Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) came in to relieve Plassmeyer in the top of the fifth with two runners left on. After a walk and a base hit, LSU plated two more runs to extend its lead 7-1.

Bond led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo homerun; his team-leading sixth of the season cutting LSU's lead to 7-2. It was his second homer in as many days.

LSU rebutted in the top of the seventh with three solo homers and wound up putting up a five-spot in the inning to extend the lead to 12-2. That put the game out of reach for Mizzou. LSU then added three more in the ninth.

Mizzou does not have a midweek game next week as it shifts its focus to a weekend series at South Carolina, beginning next Friday (April 22). For all the latest on all things Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouBaseball and like the team on Facebook and Instagram (Mizzou Baseball).

Postgame Notes

Michael Plassmeyer has now walked no more than one batter in each of his past 7 starts. His season high is two.
Brian Sharp has only failed to reach base in four of 31 games this season. He only had one at-bat in three of those games.
Plassmeyer picked off his first baserunner of the season to end the fourth inning, and his second of the season in the fifth.
Brett Bond hit his sixth home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the 5^th inning, giving him the team lead. It was his second consecutive game with a home run, and his third home run in his last five games. Bond also passed his mark of five home runs during the 2015 season. He has gotten a hit in each game this series and six total, the most in a single series for him this season. It was his first three-hit game of the season.
Zach Lavy extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a double in the eighth inning. That the longest such streak by a Tiger this season.
Lavy's double gives him 15 on the season, matching the most for a Mizzou player since 2011 when Jonah Schmidt had 17. Lavy now leads the SEC with 25 extra-base hits. He had four extra-base hits in the series (three doubles, one triple).