Mizzou’s Mateo Serna (88) celebrates with Juju Stevens (1) after hitting a grand slam in the Tigers’ win over Missouri State, Tuesday night. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State (17-22) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 1 |
| Missouri (19-23) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | X | 10 | 9 | 0 |
WP: Daniel Wissler – MIZ (3-1) LP: Jake Syverson – MSU (0-2)
Terrance Williams
Staff Writer
COLUMBIA, MO — Missouri catcher Mateo Serna launched a grand slam home run during a key sixth-inning outburst that lifted the Tigers to a 10-6 win in a non-conference game, over in-state rival Missouri State, Tuesday night at Taylor Stadium.
Mizzou was leading 3-2 at the time and had the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the sixth. Serna got a 1-0 fastball and and blasted it, deep over the center field wall to put the Tigers up 7-2.
Missouri added two more runs in that inning and another in the seventh to go ahead 10-2, before Missouri State scored a few runs late to make the final score more respectable.
With the victory, the Tigers won for the fourth-straight time in the series and completed their second-consecutive season sweep of the Bears.
Serna drove in a career-high five runs, four of which came on his second home run in as many games this season against the Bears (17-22) as part of a six-run sixth inning that turned a one-run game into a 9-2 Mizzou advantage.
The Tigers (19-23) rode a strong start from junior right-hander Bryce Mayer and back-to-back RBI singles from Kaden Peer and Trevor Austin to an early 2-0 advantage. Mayer, who struck out six Bears and scattered five hits over 4.0 scoreless innings, worked out of jams in both the first and second frames, getting inning-ending punchouts in each to keep MSU off the scoreboard.
After MSU starter Tyler Charlton retired the first six Tigers of the game in succession, Mizzou put its offense into gear with one out in the third, using a Drew Culbertson base hit and a hit batsman to generate its first scoring threat of the game.
Peer turned on a 1-2 pitch from Jake Syverson (0-2) and lined a run-scoring single to right, driving in Culbertson with the first run of the contest. Moments later, Austin followed suit, lining a two-strike offering into right-center to bring in another baserunner for a 2-0 MU lead.
Danny Corona extended the Mizzou lead to three runs in the fourth, driving a first-pitch offering over the wall in center field for his first home run as a Tiger.
Following Mayer’s scoreless four innings to open the night, MU left-hander Daniel Wissler (3-1) worked a pair of 1-2-3 innings to keep the Bears in check. MSU used a pair of extra-base hits to break up the shutout bid in the sixth, as Cody Kelly’s two-bagger chased home Nick Rodriguez, who led off the inning with a double of his own. Logan Chambers added an RBI single to slice the margin to one run.
But Austin delivered his second key hit of the game to lead off the home half of the sixth, punching a double into left-center field to spark the Tigers’ pivotal rally. Thomas Curry and Matt Garcia drew walks to load the bases, and Serna made the Bears pay, driving a 1-0 pitch from Eric Loomis well beyond the wall in left-center for a back-breaking grand slam — the first for a Mizzou hitter this season — stretching a one-run lead into a five-run cushion.
Mizzou wasn’t quite done, as two additional walks and a Bears defensive miscue loaded the bases once more. Brock Daniels delivered another damaging blow, lining a two-run single to left to extend the lead (9-2), as well as his career-best hit streak (10 games).
Serna made it an eight-run game with an RBI single in the seventh after Austin drew a leadoff walk and Curry singled to spark the MU offense once again. In all, Austin reached base safely in each of his final four plate appearances and factored in three of the Tigers’ four scoring rallies on the night.
The Bears chipped away at the Mizzou lead with a run in the eighth, before putting three ninth-inning tallies on the board to close the gap to four runs.
The Tigers will be back in SEC play this weekend, when they’ll travel down to Knoxville to play a three-game set against No. 3-ranked Tennessee (27-2). The series will begin on Thursday, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | MO ST | MIZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MIZ | 3rd | Peer, K. singled to right field, RBI (1-2 KSB); Beaman, J. advanced to third; Culbertson,D scored. | 0 | 1 |
| MIZ | 3rd | Austin, T. singled to right center, RBI (0-2 FS); Peer, K. advanced to third; Beaman, J. scored. | 0 | 2 |
| MIZ | 4th | Corona, D. homered to center field, RBI (0-0). | 0 | 3 |
 | MO ST | 6th | Kelly,C. doubled to right field, RBI (3-2 KBKBB); Rodriguez,N. scored. | 1 | 3 |
| MO ST | 6th | Chambers,L. singled through the left side, RBI (2-2 FSBB); Kelly,C. scored. | 2 | 3 |
| MIZ | 6th | Serna, M. (3) homered to left center, 4 RBI (1-0 B); Garcia, M. scored; Curry, T. scored; Austin, T. scored. | 2 | 7 |
| MIZ | 6th | Daniels, B. singled through the left side, 2 RBI (1-2 SBK); Beaman, J. advanced to second; Culbertson,D scored, unearned; Corona, D. scored. | 2 | 9 |
| MIZ | 7th | Serna, M. singled through the right side, RBI (3-2 KBBBK); Curry, T. advanced to second; Austin, T. scored. | 2 | 10 |
| MO ST | 8th | Chambers,L. grounded out to 2b, RBI (2-2 BBKK); Kelly,C. advanced to third; Rodriguez,N. scored, unearned. | 3 | 10 |
| MO ST | 9th | Gollert,T. advanced to second; Bergman,C. scored on a passed ball. | 4 | 10 |
| MO ST | 9th | Kelly,C. homered to right field, 2 RBI (1-1 BK); Gollert,T. scored. | 6 | 10 |
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 25, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | #3 Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. |  |
| April 26, 2024 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Away | #3 Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. |  |
| April 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:00 a.m. | Away | #3 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. | |