Jackson Lovich (18) celebrates with Matt Garcia (4) after smashing a home run in Tuesday’s Mizzou win over Missouri State. (Photo courtesy: Mizzou Athletics)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri (17-21) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| Missouri State (15-20) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
WP: Jacob Peaden – MIZ (3-1) LP: Eric Loomis – MSU (1-2) SV: Ian Lohse – MIZ (1)
Terrance Williams
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD, MO — The University of Missouri baseball team enjoyed one of its most complete victories of the season on Tuesday, when the Tigers scored a bunch of runs early and pitched dynamite throughout in a 6-2 road win over in-state rival Missouri State.
Jackson Lovich led the Missouri offense with a 3-for-5 performance that included a key RBI single as part of the Tigers’ two-run first inning, as well as a seventh-inning home run that helped seal the win. Additionally, six Mizzou pitchers combined to limit the Bears to two runs, led by Daniel Wissler’s strong 4 1/3 inning stint to open the contest.
The Tigers (17-21) built a 5-0 lead after scoring twice in the first and two more times in the second on Mateo Serna’s two-out, two-run homer, then turned to its pitching staff to close out their third consecutive victory over the Bears (15-20).
Mizzou set the tone for the night early, as three of the Tigers’ first four hitters recorded hits to kick off the two-run first. Brock Daniels led off the contest with a base hit to left, before moving all the way to third on an errant pickoff attempt. Kaden Peer put MU on the board with a single to center, then moved into scoring position with a steal of second. With one out, Lovich drove a run-scoring single to left, bringing in Peer for a 2-0 Mizzou lead.
The Tigers struck again the following frame, this time engineering a two-out rally after a Drew Culbertson single kept the inning going. Next, Serna belted the first pitch he saw from MSU starter Eric Loomis to double the Tigers advantage.
Wissler made the early four-run cushion stand, working around a pair of first-inning baserunners with an inning-ending strikeout of Nick Rodriguez. The sophomore also avoided trouble in the third by recording a punch out of cleanup man Curry Sutherland with a runner aboard to thwart a Bears threat.
The Tigers added to their lead in the fourth after Danny Corona was hit by a pitch to start the inning. After moving into scoring position on a wild pitch, Corona trotted home after Culbertson delivered his second hit of the night, making it a five-run game.
Wissler posted another scoreless inning in the fourth, before yielding to Jacob Peaden with a runner on and one out in the fifth. After Zack Stewart’s sacrifice fly to center brought in the first Missouri State run, Peaden dispatched Sutherland once more on a strikeout to halt the rally.
The Bears loaded the bases without the benefit of a hit in the sixth, but Victor Quinn came up with a critical strikeout of Dylan Leach to end the threat.
After Lovich extended the lead back to five runs with his seventh home run of the season with two out in the top of the seventh, Brock Lucas followed Quinn’s effort with a 1-2-3 inning in the home half.
In the eighth, Charlie Miller and Ian Lohse teamed up to limit Missouri State to one run — a Rodriguez homer to lead off the inning. A walk, a hit batsman and an Izzy Lopez single loaded the bases with one out, but Lohse got Leach to bounce into a rally-killing 5-3 double play to avoid further damage.
Lohse put the finishing touches on the victory and his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
The Tigers will return to Taylor Stadium and SEC league play this weekend, when they’ll host a three-game set against defending NCAA champion LSU.
Both teams of Tigers will play single games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. First pitch on Friday is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
Mizzou sports information contributed to this story.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | MIZ | MO ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MIZ | 1st | Peer singled to center field, RBI (1-2); Daniels scored. | 1 | 0 |
| MIZ | 1st | Lovich singled to left field, RBI (1-2); Peer scored. | 2 | 0 |
| MIZ | 2nd | Serna (2) homered to left center, 2 RBI (0-0); Culbertson scored. | 4 | 0 |
| MIZ | 4th | Culbertson singled to left field (0-2); Corona advanced to third, scored on a fielding error by lf, unearned. | 5 | 0 |
 | MO ST | 5th | Stewart,Z. flied out to cf, SF, RBI (1-2); Epstein,T. scored. | 5 | 1 |
| MIZ | 7th | Lovich (7) homered to right field, RBI (1-1). | 6 | 1 |
| MO ST | 8th | Rodriguez,N. homered to center field, RBI (0-0). | 6 | 2 |
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 19, 2024 (Friday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | LSU | Taylor Stadium |  |
| April 20, 2024 (Saturday) | 4:00 p.m. | Home | LSU | Taylor Stadium |  |
| April 21, 2024 (Sunday) | 2:00 p.m. | Home | LSU | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 23, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Missouri State | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 25, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| April 26, 2024 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Away | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| April 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:00 a.m. | Away | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| April 30, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Lindenwood | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 3, 2024 (Friday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 4, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 5, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 10, 2024 (Friday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Auburn | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 11, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Auburn | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 12, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Auburn | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 16, 2024 (Thursday) | TBA | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | |
| May 17, 2024 (Friday) | TBA | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss, | |
| May 18, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | |
| May 21, 2024 (Tuesday) | TBA | Neutral | SEC Tournament | Hoover, Ala. |