@MizzouBaseball Drops Series Opener vs. Kentucky, 4-2

Friday, April 5

Columbia, Mo.

6:30 PM

University of Missouri

20-11-1, 0

Kentucky

17-13, 0

Kentucky

Mizzou

@MizzouBaseball Drops Series Opener vs. Kentucky, 4-2

4/5/2019 11:06:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Error in sixth inning, lack of timely hitting dooms Tigers Friday evening

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball (20-11-1, 3-6-1 SEC) fell 4-2 Friday to Kentucky in the teams' weekend series opener at Taylor Stadium. The Tigers were riding high with a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning, but runs in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings by the visiting Wildcats proved to be too much.

Kentucky took advantage of a costly Tiger error in the top of the sixth, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the frame. Clinging on to a slim advantage in the latter half of the ballgame, the Wildcats' pitching staff stepped up with a bevy of key strikeouts and shutout frame after shutout frame.

Mizzou certainly had its opportunities Friday, stranding nine total runners on base. In the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers put their first two men on, but a pair of strikeouts and a fly out ultimately ended a last inning comeback.

#ShowMe Top Performers vs. Kentucky

Jacob Cantleberry: (L) 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Jordan Gubelman: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 K
Kameron Misner: 1-for-1, R, 3 BB, SB
Peter Zimmermann: 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB

Hear From Head Coach Steve Bieser

On the Tigers' offense going cold after a productive first inning…

"Yeah, I wish I had an answer for that. We had the opportunities and we had the baserunners. We just didn't have any timely hitting at all tonight. They also gave us six walks. We just need to get more hits. Our offense is struggling in the league and we knew it was going to be tight. We just didn't execute a lot of stuff. Too many mistakes tonight."

On Cantleberry and Gubelman's performances on the mound…

"I thought Gubelman did a really good job of coming in. That one pitch he made in the eighth inning that was a big home run for them that gave them a two-run lead. That really changed the game. For Cantleberry we need to play better defense behind him. He didn't have his best stuff tonight, but he should've gave up fewer runs than he did. We got to make more plays for him."

#MIZ Takeaways

With a base hit apiece Friday, both Zimmermann and freshman OF Josh Holt Jr. extended their safely reached base streaks to 15 games.
A third inning double and fifth inning walk also secured junior SS Chris Cornelius' team-leading 21st straight game with reaching base safely.
Cantleberry ran into some tough luck on the mound Friday, but still limited the opposition to 2 ER or less for his fourth consecutive SEC start (2 ER at No. 10 Arkansas – March 15, 1 ER vs. No. 20 Ole Miss – March 22, 2 ER at No. 11 Texas A&M – March 29).
Mizzou dropped only its second ballgame at Taylor Stadium this year. It now possesses a 12-2 mark in Mid-Missouri heading into Saturday's contest.

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