COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 23 Mizzou Baseball dropped a 6-5 decision to in-state rival Southeast Missouri Tuesday afternoon at Taylor Stadium. Sophomore 1B Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning, but SEMO exploded for four runs in the top of the fifth off of Mizzou’s bullpen to put the game out of reach. Mizzou tried to rally with two in the eighth, but lost a runner at the plate on a safety squeeze play which would have tied the game.

Mizzou RHP Cameron Dulle (St. Louis, Mo.) took the loss after being charged with three of the four runs in the fifth. He came in after a solid start from junior RHP Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) who went 4.0 innings while allowing just two earned runs on two hits with a career-high six strikeouts. Nate Green earned the win for SEMO, tossing 4.0 innings with just two earned runs allowed while SEMO’s Friday night starter Clay Chandler earned a five-out save, his first of the season.

Montes De Oca worked an easy 1-2-3 first inning on just 10 pitches, picking up a pair of strikeouts. He then ran into trouble in the second, walking three and allowing a pair of RBI singles as SEMO took a 2-0 lead.

Mizzou cut the lead in half in the third on a Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) sacrifice fly, taking advantage of a big throwing error by the Redhawks. After Montes De Oca threw up another zero in the top of the fourth, Mizzou got a two-out rally from the bottom of the order in its half of the fourth. Alex Samples (Bridgeport, Texas) and Chris Cornelius (St. Louis, Mo.) tallied back-to-back two-out singles and Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) hit a two-run double to give Mizzou a 3-2 lead.

The lead was short lived as Clayton Evans hit a solo homer to lead off the top of the fifth inning off reliever Cameron Dulle (St. Louis, Mo.). The line kept moving on consecutive RBI hits off reliever Ryan Lee (Grandview, Mo.) and the Redhawks got another on an RBI groundout to take a 6-3 lead.

Mizzou threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning, loading the bases with one out for Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) who drew a bases-loaded walk to draw Mizzou within two at 6-4. Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) then hit a sacrifice fly to pull within one at 6-5. SEMO escaped the jam without any further damage.

Junior RHP Nolan Groamcki (Smithville, Mo.) pitched a shutout eighth inning and Samples led off the bottom of the frame with his second hit of the game. Mizzou then put runners on the corners with one out in the eighth inning, but a botched safety squeeze cut down a runner at the plate and a strikeout by Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) ended the inning. Mizzou then went 1-2-3 in the ninth after T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) pitched a shutout top of the ninth inning.

— Mizzou Athletics —