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No. 21 @MizzouBaseball’s Offense Stifled by Florida Friday, Falls 2-0 in Pitchers’ Duel
5/17/2019 9:51:00 PM | Baseball
Gators’ starting pitcher throws complete game, two-hit shutout
COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 21 Mizzou Baseball (34-20-1, 13-15-1 SEC) had no answer for Florida's starting pitcher Friday evening, RHP Jack Leftwich, as it fell 2-0 in a pitchers' duel at Taylor Stadium. The Tiger offense was limited to only two hits and five total baseunners on the night.
Mizzou junior LHP TJ Sikkema suffered a hard-luck loss, as he was equally impressive on the bump. The Dewitt, Iowa, native virtually allowed only one mistake, a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Sikkema matched his career-high with 9.0 innings pitched, while striking out 10 batters for the fifth time this year.
#ShowMe Top Performers vs. Florida
- Sikkema: 9.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
- Peter Zimmermann: 1-for-4, 2B
Hear From Head Coach Steve Bieser
On Sikkema's performance on the mound Friday…
"TJ was outstanding. That's what you look for in your ace. I think he gave us everything he had all game long. It was a pretty nice way to go out of Taylor Stadium I'd say outside of getting a victory."
On the offense not capitalizing in the sixth inning…
"Small ball is our game. We got to be better at executing. It's something we work on. I wasn't just looking for a squeeze bunt. There was a bunt base-hit sitting there if we execute. You could tell early in this game that it was going to be a low scoring affair. Even if we got only one run out of that inning then it comes even harder for their starter to finish that game in the eighth and ninth innings with only a one-run cushion."
#MIZ Takeaways
- Mizzou black and gold faithful arrived in droves Friday, delivering a regular season program record of 3,182 fans. It surpasses the old Mizzou regular season attendance record of 3,146 established last year vs. Vanderbilt (April 21, 2018).
- In possibly his final career start at Taylor Stadium, Sikkema exited in style with his fifth double-digit strikeout performance of the year. Four of those five outings occurred in his final four appearances at home, all coming in SEC play (11 vs. Kentucky – April 7, 10 vs. No. 8 LSU – April 13, 10 vs. South Carolina – April 27, 10 vs. Florida – May 17).
- The 10 punch outs gave Sikkema 258 in his three-year Tiger career, moving into sixth place all-time on the Mizzou program list.
- With both pitchers throwing a complete game Friday, it's no surprise that the game moved along at a fast pace. In fact, the 2:05 total game duration marked the fastest Tiger game this year, beating the previous standard of 2:28 duration at No. 10 Arkansas (March 17).
Up Next
- Mizzou and Florida are set for the series finale Saturday at Taylor Stadium. With forecasted inclement weather in the Mid-Missouri area, first pitch has been bumped up to 11 a.m. CT. The matchup will still broadcast live on 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).
