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Scoreboard

Xavier Lovett
6
Winner Missouri MIZ 2-3
5
Florida A&M FAMU 1-4
Winner
Missouri MIZ
2-3
6
Final
5
Florida A&M FAMU
1-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Missouri MIZ 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 6 11 3
Florida A&M FAMU 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 9 2

W: Jacobi, Kaden (2-0) L: Williams, Cody (0-1) S: Lovett, Xavier (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Eighth-Inning Rally Helps Baseball Top Florida A&M at Andre Dawson Classic

VERO BEACH, Fla. – Kaden Peer's one-out single to center plated the deciding run, as University of Missouri baseball overcame a stiff challenge from Florida A&M to register a 6-5 victory on the opening day of play Friday evening at the Andre Dawson Classic at Holman Stadium.

Gehrig Goldbeck powered Mizzou's 11-hit attack with a 3-for-4 night at the plate, while, while Trey Lawrence and Cameron Benson recorded their first two-hit games as Tigers. Goldbeck's performance included an RBI bunt-single, as well as one of three early Mizzou steals that keyed the Tigers' three-run rally in the first inning. He later added a leadoff double in the fifth that led to Mizzou's fifth run of the game.

On the mound, four Missouri pitchers combined to strike out a season-high 13 hitters, led by starter Brock Lucas's career-best eight punchouts over the first five frames. Kaden Jacobi (2-0) followed with 2.0 shutout innings of relief, and James Vaughn fanned two of the four hitters he faced in a scoreless eighth inning.

Xavier Lovett put the finishing touches on the victory, working around a two-out triple by FAMU's Ben Kim in the ninth to secure his first collegiate save.

To get to that point, the Tigers (2-3) had to withstand a Rattlers (1-4) rally that saw them overcome an early three-run deficit. After Benson reached on an error to start the game, Peer drew a one-out walk, and Goldbeck put the Tigers on the board with a perfectly-placed bunt single in between the mound and second base. With two out, Jackson Lovich laced a two-run single to center to put MU on top, 3-0.

FAMU answered in the home half, using a two-run home run by Broedy Poppell to pull to within a run.

Mizzou took advantage of a leadoff walk to Jedier Hernandez – the first of his two free passes on the night – and a fielding error to spark another threat in the second. With the bases loaded and one out, Peer bounced a run-producing grounder to first, bringing in Hernandez for a 4-2 cushion.

But the Rattlers evened the score in the third, getting the first of Kim's two run-scoring doubles that chased home a pair of baserunners for a 4-4 deadlock.

The two offenses traded runs in the fifth inning, as Goldbeck's double led to a Mizzou run in the top half, before Kim delivered another two-out, RBI-double to make it a 5-5 game.

Mizzou loaded the bases in the seventh, using yet another Goldbeck hit to help set the table. But Cody Williams (0-1) avoided damage by coaxing an inning-ending fly ball off the bat of Hernandez. Similarly, Jacobi worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh, coming up with a strikeout and a grounder to second to squash the threat.

In the eighth, Benson's one-out double handed the Tigers the opening they needed to regain the upper hand. Mateo Serna drew a walk, setting up Peer's line-drive single up the middle that brought in Benson with the game-winning run.

Lovett quickly retired the first two hitters of the ninth, before Kim's gap-shot to right-center placed the potential tying run at third. But Lovett got pinch hitter Garrett Workman on a bouncer to third, closing out the inning and the win.

TIGER NOTEBOOK

  • With its victory, Mizzou improved to 2-0 all-time vs. Florida A&M.
  • Peer drove in a pair of runs for the second time in five games this season; he also extended his hit streak to four straight games, which matches a career best.
  • The Tigers were held homerless for just the second time this season—and the first time since its season opener vs. Penn State (Feb. 14).
  • Benson recorded his first multi-hit game as a Tiger and the 21st of his collegiate career.
  • Lucas surpassed his previous career-best strikeout total of seven from a March 29, 2023 victory at Lindenwood.
  • The Tigers' 13 strikeouts as a pitching staff represented their best single-game total since April 12, 2024 at Georgia (13).
  • Goldbeck's three-hit performance is the third by a Tiger in the first five games of the season, joining Peer and Brock Daniels on that list.
  • Mizzou's 11 hits matched two previous games as its 2025 season best (Feb. 15 vs. UConn and Feb. 16 vs. Stetson).
  • The Tigers offense also matched a season high with seven bases on balls (Feb. 15 vs. UConn).

UP NEXT
The Tigers continue play at the Andre Dawson Classic Saturday with a 2 p.m. (CST) matchup against Alabama State at Holman Stadium.

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For all the latest information on Mizzou baseball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on X, Instagram and Facebook.

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