COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 25 Mizzou Baseball won the first of two games vs. Arkansas State, 11-1, Tuesday evening at Taylor Stadium, improving the Tigers to 16-5. Mizzou has now won 10 consecutive home games to open the 2018 campaign and has won 13 straight at home dating back to last season.

LHP Junior Tyler LaPlante (Blue Springs, Mo.) earned the win, improving to 3-0 on the year. In his third start of the season, LaPlante went 5.0 shutout innings, and surrendered just three hits in the outing. He struck out four and walked just one in another stellar midweek start.

Mizzou pitchers had an impressive game, striking out 10 batters while keeping Arkansas State off the scoreboard until the seventh inning. Mizzou pitching threw just 111 pitches in 9.0 innings of work Tuesday.

Arkansas State drops to 8-9 for the season. The two teams will play the second and final game of the midweek series Wednesday at 4 p.m.

TURNING POINT
Mizzou scored a run on an RBI single in the first inning as Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) ripped a fastball past down the right field line to put Mizzou on the board before an out was recorded in the frame. Senior OF Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) opened the inning by reaching on a hit-by-pitch before stealing second base. It was the 10th time in Mizzou’s last 12 games that it has scored in the first inning.

Junior LHP Tyler LaPlante (Blue Springs, Mo.) took over from there, tossing 5.0 shutout innings, allowing just three hits in his third win of the season. Mizzou scored three more runs in the second, two in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth to back another great outing from LaPlante. Mizzou’s bullpen allowed just one run over the final four innings on an RBI groundout while the staff threw just 111 pitches in the outing.

TOP TIGERS
– Junior LHP Tyler LaPlante was again outstanding in his third start of the season, going 5.0 innings while scattering only three hits with four strikeouts against one walk. On the year, he is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 20.0 innings, striking out 14.

– Senior 3B Alex Samples tallied his first career three-hit game and drove in a career-high five runs Tuesday.

– Junior OF Connor Brumfield tallied his third game with three or more hits this season Tuesday, going 3-for-3. He scored three runs in the game.

– Mizzou senior OF Trey Harris stole his team-leading eight base in the first inning. He now has 33 career steals, which is tied for eighth in school history with Dick Dickinson.

– Sophomore CF Kameron Misner reached base in four of four plate appearances, notching his team-leading 10th multi-hit game of the season. He had an RBI single in the first and an RBI double in the fifth.

NOTES
– Mizzou now leads the all-time series with Arkansas State, 19-8.

– Mizzou is now 3-0 on Tuesdays this season.

– Mizzou moves to a perfect 10-0 on the year at home and has won 13 consecutive home games dating back to last season.

– Mizzou improves to 5-0 this season in midweek games and 12-4 in midweek games under second-year head coach Steve Bieser.

– Mizzou scored in the first inning for the 10th time in the last 12 games. Mizzou is outscoring opponents 27-8 this season and has 86 runs in the first inning under head coach Steve Bieser (80 games, 1.08 per game).

– Mizzou scored 10+ runs for the fifth time this season and is 5-0 in such games.

– Mizzou did not commit an error for the third consecutive game and has just one error in its last eight contests. Mizzou’s fielding percentage is up to .983 on the year.

UP NEXT
Mizzou and Arkansas State will close the two-game midweek series Wednesday at 4 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —