TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Behind a strong starting effort from right-hander Riley Quick and an offense that plated six runs over the first five innings, No. 16 Alabama secured 7-3 victory over University of Missouri baseball, as well as a Southeastern Conference series decision with their second-straight win over the Tigers Friday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
Quick (6-2) struck out a career-best seven hitters and permitted just one run over 5 2/3 innings, holding the Tigers scoreless through five and scattering three hits to earn the victory. The sophomore allowed just a second-inning double to Chris Patterson and hits by Gehrig Goldbeck and Jackson Lovich in the third.
Mizzou redshirt freshman Wil Libbert turned in a strong start as well, working out of a pair of jams in the first two innings to post a pair of scoreless frames. Libbert (2-3) allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out four Crimson Tide batters over his 3.0 innings.
But the Alabama (34-10, 11-9 SEC) offense made the most of its chance in the third inning, using a Kade Snell two-run homer to claim a 2-0 lead, before opening up a six-run cushion in the fifth. Richie Bonomolo Jr. recorded hits in each of his first three at-bats, including a fifth-inning single that sparked a critical four-run outburst by the Crimson Tide. The first three Alabama hitters would reach via hits to spur that rally, with Will Hodo forcing home the first run of the inning when he was hit by a Kaden Jacobi pitch. Coleman Mizell followed with the biggest blow of the fifth, driving a two-run double to right to stretch the margin to five runs.
Bryce Fowler's RBI grounder to short capped the scoring in the inning, handing Quick and the Crimson Tide a 6-0 lead.
But the Tigers (13-29, 0-20 SEC) fought back in the sixth, using a two-out Patterson RBI-triple to put their first tally on the board. Pierre Seals followed with the first of his two hits on the night to plate Patterson with a second Missouri run.
In the seventh, Mizzou sliced further into the Alabama lead, getting a leadoff walk by Goldbeck to set the table for another rally. Goldbeck stole second, then moved to third on Lovich's fly ball to right and scored on a Kaden Peer liner to right-center field to pull the Tigers to within 6-3.
A leadoff home run from Jason Torres to open the seventh accounted for the final score, handing the home club a four-run lead once again.
Mizzou right-hander Josh McDevitt turned in an impressive eighth inning for the Tigers, recording back-to-back strikeouts as part of a 1-2-3 frame.
Alabama reliever Braylon Myers worked the final 3.0 innings, striking out the side in both the eighth and ninth innings to wrap up his second save of the year.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- Patterson logged his second-straight 2-for-4 effort against Alabama, marking his fifth multi-hit performance of the season.
- Seals also registered a pair of hits, giving him seven multi-hit games as a Tiger.
- Libbert topped the 40-strikeout plateau for the season, becoming the first Mizzou freshman to do so since Logan Lunceford (68 K's) in 2023.
- With the setback – Mizzou's ninth in a row against the Crimson Tide – the Tigers drop to 7-14 all-time vs. Alabama.
UP NEXT
Mizzou and Alabama will conclude their SEC series with a 1 p.m. game Saturday.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
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.
