COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball dropped the final contest of a weekend series with Texas A&M, 7-2, Sunday afternoon at Taylor Stadium. Junior starter Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) pitched an absolute gem as he worked 6.2 innings and struck out nine while allowing only one run on two hits. His impressive start was the longest of his career and he set career-bests in strikeouts, hits allowed and runs allowed. Montes De Oca’s nine punch-outs were the most by a Mizzou pitcher in conference play this season.

Montes De Oca took the loss despite pitching brilliantly, falling to 3-4 on the year. A&M starter Stephen Kolek earned his third win of the year. Mizzou falls to 27-18 and 8-12 in SEC play while Texas A&M goes to 32-13 and 13-8 in SEC play. Junior INF Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) hit his fifth homer of the year in the loss, a two-run shot in the ninth.

Montes De Oca worked efficiently early as he worked an 11-pitch, 1-2-3, first inning. In the top of the third, he pitched around a runner on second with only one out. He sat down A&M’s Walker Pennington on strikes and then induced a groundball to third to escape the threat. Montes De Oca allowed the first Aggie hit with one out in the fourth.

After A&M notched the game’s first run in its half of the fifth on an RBI groundout, Montes De Oca worked another scoreless inning in the sixth as he tallied his sixth and seventh strikeouts, surpassing his career-high. He recorded two more punch-outs in the seventh before being relieved by freshman lefty T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa), who threw one pitch to get an out and get Mizzou through the seventh.

Mizzou’s offense found life in the bottom half of the seventh when senior OF Kirby McGuire (Round Rock, Texas) recorded Mizzou’s first hit. McGuire’s single was his fifth of the weekend, a team-high. Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) then reached on a hit by pitch but Mizzou did not scratch across a run, stranding McGuire and Harris. Following the inning the game went into a rain delay that lasted for 1:15.

Mizzou loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but McGuire struck out swinging to strand three runners. A&M then broke the game open with six runs off three Mizzou pitchers in the top of the ninth inning. Glendinnng hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to cut the lead to 7-2.

Mizzou will be back in action Tuesday vs. Murray State at 6 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —