CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Mizzou Baseball won the Kleberg Bank College Classic after defeating Illinois, 7-6, on Sunday at Whataburger Field, extending the team's winning streak to seven games. Mizzou has now won the Kleberg Bank Classic twice, doing so this year and in 2015, allowing just nine runs in six all-time games played at the event.

Freshman LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) was tremendous on Sunday and in both appearances during the tournament. He earned his first career win after tossing the final 4.1 innings, allowing just three hits and no runs while matching his career high with eight strikeouts. Combined with his save Friday against No. 25 Houston, Sikkema tossed 7.0 shutout innings while striking out 11 and allowing just three hits and a walk on the tournament. He owns a 12.0-inning shutout streak and has struck out 19 batters in those 12.0 innings of work, allowing just seven hits.

Mizzou pounded out 11 hits, breaking the 10-hit mark for the sixth time in eight games this season. Mizzou also slugged five doubles Sunday and has at least three doubles in five straight games. CF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) led Mizzou with three hits on Sunday, scoring two runs, and he has hit safely in every game this season.

Mizzou hit three doubles in the first inning and go a big, two-out, bases-loaded hit from junior C Nelson Mompierre (Miami, Fla.) to explode for four runs in the top of the first inning. Mompierre's two-run single proved to be huge as Illinois took advantage of a fielding error and hit a three-run homer in its half of the first to cut the lead to 4-3.

Mizzou starter Liam Carter (Highland Park, Ill.) again got into trouble in the second inning, despite striking out the first batter he faced. He allowed a walk and a single as the lineup turned over and three-hole hitter Pat McInerney launched a three-run homer to give Illinois a 6-4 lead.

After Carter walked the first batter he faced in the third, Mizzou brought in RS sophomore Cameron Dulle (St. Louis, Mo.) who threw up a zero in the third. Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) nearly tied the game with a double in the fourth inning, but it was hauled in on a running catch in the gap by LF Jack Yalowitz to strand a pair. Dulle settled things down for Mizzou, pitching a shutout fourth inning.

Mizzou got a run in the fifth on a bases-loaded balk by reliever Zack Jones to cut the lead to 6-5. Dulle then ran into a little bit of trouble as he allowed back-to-back singles after getting the first out in the fifth. Bren Spillane tried to go from first to third on the second single of the inning, but Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) gunned him down at third with a perfect throw.

The Tigers finally broke through in the top of the sixth to regain the lead, scoring on a wild pitch and an error. Sikkema, who relieved Dulle, then pitched out of a tough spot in the sixth inning, stranding a pair with two strikeouts, leaving the tying run on second.

Sikkema was then sharp again in the eight, getting three quick outs and shut the door in the ninth, pitching around a leadoff single thanks to a huge, strike-out, throw-out double play, to seal the win.

Mizzou will return to Columbia for its home opener this Friday (March 3) at 6:30 p.m. For all the latest on Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouBaseball) and like the team on Facebook and Instagram (Mizzou Baseball and missouri_baseball, respectively).

Quoting Bieser

Opening Statement…
"Outstanding weekend. These guys – the players are what wins game. We saw the players will their way through this game today after giving up that four-run lead in the top of the first. They really stuck to it – found a way. That's what good teams to; they find a way. I'm not saying we are where we need to be. We still have a lot of work to do. Some good things came out of this weekend and we were also exposed to some things that we can continue to work on. Very happy with this group and how they responded all weekend."

On T.J Sikkema…
"He's got a bright future. We knew that from day one that he was going to have a huge role on this team. Using him the way we are using him in these situations – that's tough for a freshman but he hasn't looked like a freshman. Really excited for him."

Notes

• Mizzou now leads the all-time series with Illinois, 14-13.
• Mizzou moves to 6-0 all-time at the Kleberg Bank College Classic, allowing just nine runs in those six games. Mizzou has won the tournament in 2015 and 2017
• Mizzou moves to 21-4 in the first two weeks of play dating back to 2015.
• The win gives Mizzou a seven game winning-streak, the longest for Mizzou since winning seven last year from Feb 24-March 4
• Mizzou moved its season hits total to 102, second-most in SEC. The Tigers have 10+ hits in six of eight games this season.
• Mizzou hit five doubles Sunday, moving its SEC-leading total to 28. The Tigers have at least three doubles in five consecutive games.
• Mizzou hit three of its five doubles in the first inning Sunday, more doubles than in 46 of Mizzou's 56 games last season.
• Mizzou has now walked 45 times this season, an SEC-best mark.
• Freshman T.J. Sikkema earned his first career win on Sunday to go along with a save Friday. He tossed 7.0 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts and a walk on the weekend. Sikkema currently holds a 12.0 shutout inning streak, striking out 19 with just two walks and seven hits in that span.
• Sophomore CF Connor Brumfield extended his hitting streak to all eight games this year with a leadoff single through the right side.
• SS Robbie Glendinning roped a double in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to seven games, hitting safely in every game he has played.
• 1B Brian Sharp has reached base in seven straight games.
• Mizzou's bullpen has now tossed 21.1 consecutive innings without an earned run. The bullpen this year has a 1.30 ERA in 34.2 innings (just five earned runs). Mizzou's bullpen has allowed just 22 hits in 34.2 innings of work this season.