COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri baseball freshman Cam Careswell produced three RBI in a three-hit night to carry the Tigers to a 6-5 win over Tarleton State, in the home opener at Taylor Stadium on Friday night.
Careswell went 3-for-4 with two doubles to drive in the trio of tallies. The knocks were the first of his collegiate career. Senior Luke Mann added a 2-for-5 evening and scored two runs to chip in at the plate for Mizzou (7-1).
The Tigers built an early lead behind junior ace Spencer Miles (2-0) who tossed five scoreless innings while scattering three hits. Miles fanned five Texans while issuing just one walk. He lowered his ERA to 1.88 on the season.
Tarleton State (3-6) rallied late, using a pair of solo homers in the seventh and another in the eighth to pull within three. Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo had one of the solo homers and added a ninth-inning double to drive in three for the Texans.
IMPACT INNING
After the Texans loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, senior closer Austin Cheeley entered out of the bullpen. Cheeley surrendered a double to Choy Foo which brought Tarleton State within one, but promptly slammed the door with a pair of grounders to seal the win. The save was Cheeley's third of the season.
TOP TIGERS
Cam Careswell: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R
Spencer Miles: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 K, 1 BB
Luke Mann: 2-for-5, 2 R
Carlos Peña: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
IN THE NOTES
- Careswell made his first career start as a Tiger.
- Ty Wilmsmeyer singled to extend his hitting streak to five games.
- Peña's RBI was his team-leading 10th of the season.
- Torin Montgomery doubled in the bottom of the first to open the scoring, his fifth RBI of the year.
- Trevor Austin was hit-by-pitch twice in the game, bringing his season HBP total to eight.
FROM THE SKIP
Coach Bieser on the home opener victory…
"Just proud of these guys. We didn't play our best ball game tonight but they stuck with it and we were able to get out of here with a win. We just got to keep competing."
UP NEXT
Mizzou and Tarleton State continue the series on Saturday. First pitch in game two is set for 2 p.m. at Taylor Stadium.
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