COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball (14-5) won its final game of the series against Southeast Missouri (10-8), 13-6, on Wednesday afternoon thanks to a eight-hit, eight-run fifth inning, the most runs scored in an inning by Mizzou since Feb. 21, 2014, against Radford.
Four Mizzou batters recorded a multi-RBI game including Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.), Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.), Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.), and Shane Benes (Town and Country, Mo.), who led the offense with three on the night. Ian Nelson (Lake St. Louis, Mo.) led Mizzou’s offense with two hits for his second multi-hit game of the season. Senior 1B Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) also tallied two hits. Mizzou’s 6-through-9 batters had five hits and eight RBI in the win.
Ryan Lee (Grandview, Mo.) got the start for Mizzou in his fourth appearance of the season. Through four innings of work, Lee tallied a season-high five strikeouts with four runs on five hits. Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) earned his first win of the season in relief of Lee.
Garrett Gandolfo opened up the scoring for Southeast Missouri with a line shot up the middle to drive in the first run of the game. A single to right field by Ryan Rippee scored Branden Boggetto, followed by an error on Bond to score Gandolfo giving, Southeast Missouri the 3-0 lead.
Bartlett entered the game in the fifth inning in relief for Lee with bases loaded and no outs. He successfully got out of the inning forcing the Redhawks to ground into a double play and ground out to short, limiting the damage to just one run.
Mizzou answered in the fifth, loading the bases with two walks to both Sharp and Bond and a single to the right side for Nelson, his second of the night. Brumfield came through with a banger through the right side, knocking in Sharp and Bond for his 14th and 15th RBI of the season.
Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) kept the ball rolling as he brought Nelson home with a sacrifice fly to deep right field, pulling Mizzou to within one. The rally continued as both Benes and Bond recorded two-run singles to left field to extend the lead. Sharp crossed the plate on a wild-pitch, putting the inning total at eight runs.
Southeast Missouri threatened in the seventh with a pair of RBI singles by Trevor Ezell and Boggetto of off Bartlett, who sat for nearly 45 minutes during Mizzou’s eight-run fifth which featured five SEMO pitching changes. Senior LHP Austin Tribby (Springfield, Mo.) entered the game for Mizzou and retired Rippee with a strike out looking.
Mizzou’s offensive effort continued into the bottom of the eighth as Southeast Missouri pitcher Justin Murphy walked in a run. Sharp tallied his first hit of the night with a two-run single through the right side, padding the lead for Mizzou. All 10 Mizzou batters reached base safely during the game.
Mizzou heads to No. 1 Florida to open SEC play this weekend in a three-game set. Game one will be Friday at 6 p.m.
— Mizzou Athletics —