@MizzouBaseball Struggles to Find Rhythm in Saturday Loss at South Carolina

Saturday, May 12

Columbia, S.C.

3 p.m. (CT)

University of Missouri

31-19, 10-16

South Carolina

29-21, 14-12

Missouri

South Carolina

@MizzouBaseball Struggles to Find Rhythm in Saturday Loss at South Carolina

5/12/2018 7:05:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Gamecocks even series, setting up huge Sunday rubber game

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Mizzou Baseball dropped a Saturday decision at South Carolina, 6-3, at Founders Park as the three-game series is now even at one win apiece. South Carolina scored two runs in the first and Mizzou loaded the bases with no outs in the third and failed to score before Carolina added two more runs in the fourth and seventh innings to put the game away as Mizzou's offense did not get on track until the eighth inning. Mizzou falls to 31-19 and 10-16 in SEC play while Carolina improves to 29-21 and 14-12 in league games.

Mizzou junior lefty Michael Plassmeyer was charged with the loss, falling to 5-3 on the year. He went 5.0 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits with three walks and a strikeout. South Carolina's Adam Hill earned the win, pitching 7.0 shutout innings, striking out eight and walking two while scattering just four hits.

The Tigers got three runs in the eighth on a homer from Brian Sharp and a two-run, two-out double from Zach Hanna, but that was all the offense for Mizzou.

Mizzou's loss Saturday sets up a huge rubber game Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (CT), as both teams will look to earn a series win that will go a long way to helping secure an NCAA Regional berth.

TURNING POINT

South Carolina got on the board early as a leadoff single and a double led to a pair of RBI groundouts to give the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead after one. Mizzou was in position to get some runs in the top of the third inning, loading the bases with no outs for the middle of the order, but two-hole hitter Trey Harris bounced into a fielder's choice and freshman DH Chad McDaniel hit into an inning-ending double play as the Tigers missed a golden opportunity.

Carolina added two runs in both the bottom of the fourth inning and seventh inning, and that was all the runs that it needed to seal the win.

QUOTING MIZZOU

Head Coach Steve Bieser
Opening Statement…
"Long afternoon, but I think the biggest thing with today's baseball game is that we didn't play as well as we could possible have played. We had some opportunities there and just couldn't cash in."

TOP TIGERS

Junior 1B Brian Sharp singled Saturday and has reached base in 11 straight games. Sharp added a homer in the eighth inning and he is hitting 21-for-43 with 15 runs, 12 RBI and four homers over his last 10 games. Sharp also tallied his team-leading 16^th multi-hit game of the season Saturday.
Senior C Brett Bond hit his eighth double of the year, just one off the team lead.
Junior LF Zach Hanna hit a two-run double in the eighth inning.

NOTES

South Carolina now leads the all-time series, 12-7
Mizzou falls to 10-10 on the road this season.
Mizzou falls to 9-8 on Saturdays this season.
Mizzou falls to 18-17 in three-game series this season.
Saturday's game featured a 1:01 lightning delay in the bottom of the fourth inning.

UP NEXT

Mizzou and South Carolina are set for a series finale Sunday at noon (CT) 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).