ST. CHARLES, Mo. – After a win to secure Braggin’ Rights over Illinois on Tuesday, Mizzou baseball dropped its second game of a double midweek slate, 10-4, to Lindenwood at the Lou Brock Sports Complex on Wednesday evening.
The Tigers’ (17-9, 1-5 SEC) offense pounced early with back-to-back singles by Kam Durnin and Kaden Peer. After a walk later in the inning, Cameron Benson cashed in on a bases-loaded opportunity with a two-run single to break into the scoring column and give Mizzou a 2-0 advantage.
Freshman Luke Sullivan recorded his fourth collegiate start and after cruising through the first, the St. Louis native had to work through some trouble in the second as Lindenwood (11-13, 0-3 OVC) evened the score at two runs apiece.
An RBI single by the Lions in the third notched another run to give the Lions a 3-2 lead. The Tigers turned to Isaiah Salas to relieve Sullivan in the fourth inning, and the freshman lefty finished the inning with no runs allowed, keeping the score stagnant.
The Lions issued a total of four free passes in the top of the fifth, but Mizzou was unable to capitalize on the scoring opportunity. Lindenwood added a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to grow its lead to 5-2.
A two-run home run by Lindenwood in the seventh contributed to a four-run inning and made it a 9-2 advantage for the home team.
The Tigers put the pressure on in the eighth, stringing a series of hits together to cut into the Lindenwood lead and make the score 9-4. Finding themselves in a jam, the Lions looked to the bullpen and brought out key reliever Aaron Jungers (0.44 ERA). However, the lefty worked out of the jam and limited the Missouri charge to just two runs.
The Lions added a run in the eighth to extend the lead and closed the door in the ninth, ending the game at 10-4 to give Lindenwood the win.
NOTEBOOK
- Mizzou scored a combined six runs in the first inning during its two midweek contests this week. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 32-7 in the first inning this season.
- Benson notched his seventh multi-hit game of the season after going 2-for-3. He drove in three of four Tiger runs in the game.
- Salas notched his third-consecutive scoreless appearance after pitching 0.2 innings in relief.
- Juliomar Campos has punched out a runner in each of his first two collegiate starts behind the plate. He also added a hit at the plate.
- Freshman Blaize Ward extended his hitting streak to six games – the longest by a Missouri freshman this season.
- Pierre Seals extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games.
- Jase Woita reached base in every plate appearance (two walks, a hit by pitch and a double) for the first time this season. The South Carolina transfer extended his on-base streak to 21 games – the longest by any Tiger this season.
- Peer extended his reached-base streak to 14 games – every game he’s played in this season.
- Durnin grew his own on-base streak to 13-consecutive games with a single on the very first pitch of the game.
- Despite the loss, Missouri leads the all-time series against Lindenwood, 8-1.
The Tigers head back to Columbia for their third weekend of SEC play (March 27-29) versus No. 25 Texas A&M, with game one scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday evening at Taylor Stadium. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and can also be streamed on the Varsity Network by Learfield, with longtime play-by-play announcer Tex Little on the call and Matt Michaels providing color.
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 Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
