No. 20 @MizzouBaseball Evens Weekend Series Saturday at No. 2 Vanderbilt Behind Stellar Pitching

Saturday, May 11

Nashville, Tenn.

11 AM

University of Missouri

34-17-1, 0

(#2) Vanderbilt

40-10, 0

Missouri

Vanderbilt

No. 20 @MizzouBaseball Evens Weekend Series Saturday at No. 2 Vanderbilt Behind Stellar Pitching

5/11/2019 3:50:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Sikkema and Bedell limit one of nation’s best offenses to two runs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 20 Mizzou Baseball (34-17-1, 13-12-1 SEC) evened its weekend series at No. 2 Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon with a 5-2 victory. After falling behind 2-0 in the fourth inning, the Tiger offense responded with runs in four consecutive frames.

Junior LHP TJ Sikkema closed his strong start with scoreless fifth and sixth innings, giving way to sophomore RHP Ian Bedell. The Tiger righty was masterful in 3.0 innings of work, not allowing a run while striking out three en route to his team-leading fifth save of the year.

Mizzou's offense came alive Saturday at Hawkins Field, as seven batters produced a hit while four Tigers finished with a multi-hit contest. Junior UTIL Peter Zimmermann enjoyed the biggest day at the plate, highlighted by a solo home run in the eighth inning.

#ShowMe Top Performers at Vanderbilt

Sikkema: (W) 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 K
Bedell: (SV) 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Zimmermann: 2-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Tony Ortiz: 2-for-4, R, 2 SB

Hear From Head Coach Steve Bieser

On Saturday's matchup against the Commodores…

"It was a well-played game by both sides. One thing about this club is that they don't quit. They understand that there's nine innings to play. I was pleased with how they stuck to the course and finished this game out."

On the Tigers' effective running game today…

"It was huge. Opposing teams are concerned and it gets them out of their rhythm. They have to always throw over and keep things close. We run to get to the next base and also run to disrupt the game."

On Bedell's stellar outing in relief…

"Our pitching staff today, we had two of our top dogs on the mound. They gave us everything they had. TJ (Sikkema) is such a bulldog and warrior and kept us in the game. Then Ian (Bedell) came in and was lights out."

#MIZ Takeaways

Mizzou now possesses eight, top-25 nationally ranked triumphs this year and eight victories against teams currently ranked top-25 in the NCAA RPI.
With the Commodores holding a No. 2 RPI ranking heading into this weekend's series, Saturday's win stands as Mizzou's highest RPI victory of the year and third win against an RPI top-10 opponent.
Mizzou's remarkable success after dropping a Southeastern Conference series opener continued Saturday. With today's victory, the Tigers are now 5-2 this year following a conference series-opening loss.
Four of those wins have occurred against a nationally ranked opponent (March 30 at No. 11 Texas A&M, April 13 vs. No. 8 LSU, May 4 at No. 23 Tennessee, May 11 at No. 2 Vanderbilt).
The Tigers picked up their 20th win of the year in day games, currently standing with a 20-6-1 overall record in those matchups.
After overcoming its aforementioned 2-0 deficit Saturday, Mizzou's comeback win was its 19th come-from-behind victory this year.
Thanks to its fantastic bullpen all season long, Mizzou improved its record when leading after six innings to 27-3, a 27-3 mark when leading after seven frames and a perfect 28-0 record when leading after eight innings.

Up Next

The series finale between the Tigers and Commodores is scheduled for Sunday (May 12) afternoon at Hawkins Field. Following this weekend's series in Nashville, Mizzou hosts Florida for their home finale at Taylor Stadium (May 16-18).
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).