COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball got another stellar midweek start from junior RHP Andy Toelken (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) as it snapped a six-game skid with a 11-0 win over Murray State Tuesday night (May 2) at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou also got a solo homer and three hits from junior C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) as the Tigers improve to 28-18 on the year. Head coach Steve Bieser is now tied for the most wins ever by a first-year Mizzou head coach, matching the mark set by the 1974 team under legendary Mizzou head coach Gene McArtor.
Toelken pitched 7.0 innings and allowed just five hits and no runs for his first shutout appearance of the season. He struck out five batters and walked just two. He now has a 2.12 ERA in his last five starts and has surrendered just 21 hits in 34.0 innings while striking out 29 during those five starts. He improves to 3-3 on the year.
Mizzou took advantage of an error to score three runs in the bottom of the second. Junior Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) reached on a throwing error by the MSU shortstop and Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) hit an infield single to put two men on. Ian Nelson (Lake St. Louis, Mo.) then singled through the right side to plate a run. Mizzou tacked on another on a sacrifice fly and a two-out double by Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) to take a 3-0 lead after two.
Senior Kirby McGuire (Round Rock, Texas) manufactured a run in the bottom of the fifth inning after singling, stealing a base and taking third on a passed ball. He was knocked in by a Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) groundout to short to extend Mizzou’s lead to 4-0. Bond then hit his ninth homer of the year to push the lead to 5-0.
Mizzou broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh inning. After an RBI double by Misner, SS Chris Cornelius (St. Louis, Mo.) hit a single into right field and it got past the right fielder and all the way to the wall. That scored two runs and Cornelius came all the way around to score to complete the little league home run. That extended the lead to 9-0. The Tigers added two more runs in the eighth inning.
Sophomore RHP Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) took over on the mound in the eighth and pitched a shutout frame and got the first out of the ninth. Junior RHP Nolan Gromacki (Smithville, Mo.) then got the final two outs.
Mizzou will be back in action this weekend as it heads to Vanderbilt for a three-game series.
— Mizzou Athletics —