Texas A&M Takes Series Finale over Mizzou on Rain-Soaked Sunday

Sunday, April 30

Columbia, Mo.

1:00 PM

University of Missouri

27-18, 8-13

Texas A&M

32-13, 13-8

Texas A&M

Mizzou

Texas A&M Takes Series Finale over Mizzou on Rain-Soaked Sunday

4/30/2017 6:26:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Mizzou wastes great start from junior RHP Bryce Montes De Oca, who set career highs in innings, strikeouts

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball dropped the final contest of a weekend series with Texas A&M, 7-2, Sunday afternoon at Taylor Stadium. Junior starter Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) pitched an absolute gem as he worked 6.2 innings and struck out nine while allowing only one run on two hits. His impressive start was the longest of his career and he set career-bests in strikeouts, hits allowed and runs allowed. Montes De Oca's nine punch-outs were the most by a Mizzou pitcher in conference play this season.

Montes De Oca took the loss despite pitching brilliantly, falling to 3-4 on the year. A&M starter Stephen Kolek earned his third win of the year. Mizzou falls to 27-18 and 8-12 in SEC play while Texas A&M goes to 32-13 and 13-8 in SEC play. Junior INF Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) hit his fifth homer of the year in the loss, a two-run shot in the ninth.

Montes De Oca worked efficiently early as he worked an 11-pitch, 1-2-3, first inning. In the top of the third, he pitched around a runner on second with only one out. He sat down A&M's Walker Pennington on strikes and then induced a groundball to third to escape the threat. Montes De Oca allowed the first Aggie hit with one out in the fourth.

After A&M notched the game's first run in its half of the fifth on an RBI groundout, Montes De Oca worked another scoreless inning in the sixth as he tallied his sixth and seventh strikeouts, surpassing his career-high. He recorded two more punch-outs in the seventh before being relieved by freshman lefty T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa), who threw one pitch to get an out and get Mizzou through the seventh.

Mizzou's offense found life in the bottom half of the seventh when senior OF Kirby McGuire (Round Rock, Texas) recorded Mizzou's first hit. McGuire's single was his fifth of the weekend, a team-high. Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) then reached on a hit by pitch but Mizzou did not scratch across a run, stranding McGuire and Harris. Following the inning the game went into a rain delay that lasted for 1:15.

Mizzou loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but McGuire struck out swinging to strand three runners. A&M then broke the game open with six runs off three Mizzou pitchers in the top of the ninth inning. Glendinnng hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to cut the lead to 7-2.

Mizzou will be back in action Tuesday vs. Murray State at 6 p.m. on SEC Network. For all the latest on all things Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouBaseball and like the team on Facebook and Instagram (Missouri Baseball).

Potent Quotables
Head Coach Steve Bieser

Opening statement…
"Well we just ran into a team that played much better than we played and quite frankly, right now they are a better club than we are. We have to find ways to compete in situations like this weekend and we didn't do a very good job of it."

Postgame Notes

Mizzou now trails the all-time series with Texas A&M, 36-49
Mizzou falls to 5-5 on Sundays this season
Mizzou falls to 14-13 in three-game series this season
Mizzou is now 5-7 vs. SEC West teams this season
RHP Bryce Montes De Oca pitched a career high 6.2 innings giving up a career low 2 hits and a career low 1 run while striking out a career high 9 batters, tied for the most all season by a Mizzou pitcher and the most strikeouts by a Mizzou pitcher in conference play this season.
C Brett Bond caught a runner trying to steal second base in the top of the second inning. This was the second time this series that Bond has caught a runner stealing and the ninth time this season.
OF Kirby McGuire collected his team leading fifth base hit of the series in the seventh inning.
2B Robbie Glendinning hit his fifth homerun of the season in the ninth inning, the third most homeruns on the team this season behind Bond (8) and Harris (12).
OF Trey Harris scored his team-leading 33^rd run of the season in the ninth inning off of Glendinning's home run.