@MizzouBaseball Falls Victim to Big Inning, Drops 4-2 Series Finale at North Florida

Sunday, February 17

Jacksonville, Fla.

12:05 PM

University of Missouri

1-2

North Florida

2-1

Missouri

North Florida

@MizzouBaseball Falls Victim to Big Inning, Drops 4-2 Series Finale at North Florida

2/17/2019 4:37:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Tigers allow four runs in the seventh inning, fall short in ninth inning comeback

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mizzou Baseball (1-2) saw a great starting pitching performance Sunday by junior LHP Jacob Cantleberry, but North Florida used a late four-run seventh inning to capture a 4-2 series-clinching victory.

After going hitless in the sixth-eighth innings, the Tiger bats woke up in the ninth and loaded the bases with two outs. Junior 1B/OF Kameron Misner came within feet of producing a thrilling grand slam, but the Ospreys' center fielder hauled in the ball to close out the game.

#ShowMe Top Performers vs. North Florida

Cantleberry: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 10 K, 1 BB
Tony Ortiz: 1-for-3, 2 RBI
Alex Peterson: 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 BB
Thomas Broyles: 1-for-1, SB

Hear From Head Coach Steve Bieser

On Sunday's series finale loss at North Florida…

"There was really not a lot of energy and it's hard to believe that we'd struggle with energy going into game three of the season. There was some complacency on our end and some inexperience. We thought the game was going to come easy to us. You could see it coming in after the third inning, as there wasn't a sense of urgency. Our at bats got really poor. Give North Florida's pitcher as he spotted up and took advantage of the strike zone against us. I thought we couldn't put anything together and we waited until the ninth inning to really try to kick it in."

On Cantleberry's start on the mound Sunday…

"What an outstanding performance by Jacob. It's a shame that we wasted that start. If this was midyear then he probably has his pitch count up and throws a complete game shutout the way he was throwing today."

On his message to the team heading into Tallahassee Tuesday…

"We have to pick up our pace. There has to be a sense of urgency with this club. We have to know every pitch counts. I thought we took some pitches off today. Not intentionally, but I think that's what happens to young guys. They need to value every pitch and we need to do a better job of coaching them up."

#MIZ Takeaways

Cantleberry was the star of Sunday's matchup against the Ospreys, tossing 6.0 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in his Mizzou debut. It marked the most strikeouts by a Tiger in his debut since Reggie McClain also tallied 10 punch outs versus Iona on Feb. 13, 2015.
Cantleberry consistently has North Florida's offense off-balance, as he held its batters to three hits and multiple strikeouts in four innings.
Along with Cantleberry, junior RHP Lukas Veinbergs and sophomore RHP Trey Dillard made their Mizzou debuts Sunday on the bump.
On offense, freshmen duo of OF Josh Holt Jr. and C Tre Morris made their Mizzou debuts as pinch runners.
For the season-opening weekend series, Misner paced all Mizzou hitters with a .400 (4-for-10) average. The Poplar Bluff, Missouri, native tallied one double, two home runs and 11 total bases over an impressive three-game stretch.
Junior INF Peter Zimmerman (.375), junior SS Chris Cornelius (.364) and sophomore A. Peterson (.333) all eclipsed .300 hitting in their first weekends of the season.
Coach Bieser had the running game working all weekend long, totaling eight stolen bases on 10 attempts. Misner and A. Peterson tied for the team lead with two swipes apiece.

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