No. 24 @MizzouBaseball Drops Rubber Game at No. 16 LSU, 7-5

Sunday, March 18

Baton Rouge, La.

2 p.m.

University of Missouri

15-5, 1-2

LSU

14-6, 2-1

Mizzou

LSU

No. 24 @MizzouBaseball Drops Rubber Game at No. 16 LSU, 7-5

3/18/2018 5:36:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Mizzou scores two runs in the first inning before LSU’s Hilliard shut down the Tiger order

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 24 Mizzou Baseball dropped the rubber game of a three-game series, 7-5, vs. No. 16 LSU Sunday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium. Mizzou scored two runs in the first inning, but LSU scored single runs in each of the first three innings before putting the game away with a three-run sixth inning. Mizzou falls to 15-5 (1-2 SEC) on the year while LSU improves to 14-7 (2-1 SEC).

Mizzou senior RHP Andy Toelken (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over the first 3.0 innings. LSU starter Ma'Khail Hillard earned the win after striking out a career-high six Mizzou batters over 6.0 innings, scattering six hits with a walk.

Mizzou threatened in the ninth inning, getting three runs on Kameron Misner's (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) fourth homer of the season, cutting the lead to 7-5. But LSU's Austin Bain got the final two outs of the frame to seal the win.

TURNING POINT

Freshman RHP Konnor Ash (Plainfield, Ill.) came in and settled things down nicely after LSU scored a run in each of the first three innings. He kept Mizzou within striking distance at 3-2 until a leadoff walk in the sixth inning. LSU then got a walk and three straight singles off reliever LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) to extend the lead to 6-2, putting the game out of reach for Mizzou.

QUOTING MIZZOU

Steve Bieser:
"We just didn't do enough to win a ball game. We got off to a great start, we played really solid baseball in that first inning – a sacrifice bunt to get them over – and then all of a sudden we get a run in on a SAC fly and get another on a two-out RBI. That's winning baseball right there. But we let the one inning, the three spot in the sixth, with some sloppy defensive play and sloppy pitches and that wasn't winning baseball. That's why the game got away from us."

TOP TIGERS

Senior OF Trey Harris tallied three hits from the leadoff spot, also walking and scoring run. He now leads the team with four three-hit games this season.
Freshman DH Chad McDaniel had two hits with an RBI in the first inning.
Sophomore CF Kameron Misner hit a three-run, ninth inning homer to cut the lead to 7-5. It was his team-leading fourth.

NOTES

Mizzou now trails the all-time series with LSU, 14-1.
Mizzou is now 24-15 away from home under second-year head coach Steve Bieser.
Mizzou is now 9-3 in three-game series this season.
Mizzou falls to 2-2 on Sundays this season.
Mizzou falls to 3-2 this season vs. ranked opponents.
Mizzou is now 9-9 during the opening weekend of SEC play since joining the league in 2013.
Mizzou had its first rain delay since April 30, 2017, vs. Texas A&M. Sunday's game was delayed by 62 minutes following a rain shower minutes before first pitch.
Senior OF Trey Harris singled in the first inning and tallied a first-inning hit in every game of the three-game set vs. LSU. He posted his eighth multi-hit game of the year Sunday.
Mizzou snapped a 17.2 shutout inning streak by LSU starter Ma'Khail Hilliard with two runs in the top of the first inning. Mizzou has scored in the first inning in nine of the last 11 games.
Freshman DH Chad McDaniel tallied his second career multi-hit game Sunday, posting a pair of singles in his first two at-bats.

UP NEXT

Mizzou will return home for a five-game homestand, beginning Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. game vs. Arkansas State on SEC Network. 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 (Mizzou Baseball) and Instagram (missouri_baseball).