University of Missouri
29-15-1, 0
South Carolina
24-19, 0
@MizzouBaseball Dominates South Carolina Saturday in 11-0 Victory
4/27/2019 10:56:00 PM | Baseball
Tigers secure another SEC series win at Taylor Stadium
COLUMBIA, Mo. – After defeating Southeastern Conference Eastern Division foe South Carolina on Friday, Mizzou Baseball (29-15-1, 9-10-1 SEC) snatched Saturday's game two contest from the Gamecocks, as junior LHP TJ Sikkema delivered arguably the best performance of his Tiger career.
Although high winds whipped through Taylor Stadium for much of Saturday evening, Sikkema was locked in, recording 10 strikeouts while allowing no hits and no runs through 7.0 innings pitched.
The Tiger offense also turned in an incredible performance Saturday with eight individuals recording a hit. After scoring just one run through the first six frames, the Tiger bats came to life in a seventh-inning offensive explosion that accounted for eight runs.
After tacking on two more runs in the eighth inning, the Tigers led the Gamecocks a whopping 11-0 and ended the night with 13 total hits. Mizzou's offensive fireworks resulted in eight different batters recording an RBI, including four with multi-RBI outings.
With its victories in the first two games of the weekend series, Mizzou has secured its fourth conference series win of the season. All four of their SEC series triumphs have occurred at Taylor Stadium, where the Tigers are now an impressive 19-3 this year.
#ShowMe Top Performers vs. South Carolina
- Sikkema: (W) 7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 10 K
- Chad McDaniel: 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI, SB
- Kameron Misner: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, SB
- Connor Brumfield: 1-for-2, R, 2 RBI, BB
Hear From Head Coach Steve Bieser
On Saturday's outstanding all-around effort…
"What a solid performance by TJ (Sikkema), setting the tone and really keeping us in there. We squandered an opportunity there early and wanted some extra runs for him. Our goal was to try and score some runs and make it easy for him. What we really had to do was get him out of the game, so we just started scoring I guess."
On Sikkema's brilliance on the mound…
"We asked him to go out in that last inning (seventh) and give it all he had. He threw a really solid inning there. We wondered if we could get another (inning) for him, but we'd already predetermined that it was going to be his last one. He just really threw an outstanding game for us."
On the offense finally breaking through in the seventh inning…
"It was just one right after another, but some of those at-bats we just grinded out. We drew some walks in those tough situations, was down in the count and was able to work our way back. We just put a hit parade together and it was really good to see that from our offense."
#MIZ Takeaways
- Sikkema's 10 strikeouts marked the fourth game this season the junior southpaw has tossed double-digit K's in a game.
- Saturday marked the first time in his career that Sikkema had not allowed a single hit in a start. His previous best was three hits allowed earlier this season vs. Rhode Island (Feb. 22) and vs. No. 8 LSU (April 13).
- In the month of April, the Dewitt, Iowa, native has now recorded 38 total strikeouts in 26.0 innings pitched.
- With his one-run double in the third inning, junior UTIL Peter Zimmerman's four RBIs over the past two games already are his most over the course of a three-game series this season.
- With the Tiger black and gold offense continuing to make solid contact in game two against South Carolina, eight different Tiger batters have notched a hit in this series, recording 28 total hits over the past two nights of action.
- The Tigers' air-tight defense and stellar pitching held the Gamecocks scoreless for just the third time this season. Additionally, South Carolina's one hit Saturday was the fewest it had recorded this year.
- Smashing 13 hits on Saturday night, the Tigers have now recorded double-digit hits 17 times this season.
Up Next
- The series finale between Mizzou and South Carolina is slated for a 2 p.m. CT first pitch Sunday afternoon. Fans unable to make it to Taylor Stadium can tune-in live to SEC Network + via WatchESPN.
- Fans can purchase tickets by visiting MUTigers.com/Tickets or by calling the Mizzou Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-CAT-PAWS.
Visit MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Baseball. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (Mizzou Baseball) and following us on Twitter (@MizzouBaseball) and Instagram (Missouri_Baseball).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sikkema, TJ (5-3)
L: Cam Tringali (2-2)
Batting:
2B: Zimmermann, Peter 1
3B: Holt Jr., Josh 1
RBI: Gomez, Paul 1 ; Cornelius, Chris 1 ; Misner, Kameron 1 ; Zimmermann, Peter 1 ; Holt Jr., Josh 1 ; McDaniel, Chad 2 ; Peterson, Clayton 1 ; Brumfield, Connor 2
SH: Vierling, Mark 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gomez, Paul 2 ; Cornelius, Chris 1 ; Misner, Kameron 2 ; Holt Jr., Josh 2 ; McDaniel, Chad 1 ; Ortiz, Tony 1 ; Peterson, Clayton 1 ; Brumfield, Connor 1
SB: Misner, Kameron 1 ; McDaniel, Chad 1
HBP: Gomez, Paul 1 ; Brumfield, Connor 1
