COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 25 Mizzou Baseball won its 15th consecutive home game after defeating Mississippi State, 4-1, Friday night at Taylor Stadium. The 15-game winning streak is Mizzou’s longest home winning streak in 11 years. Mizzou tallied 11 hits in the program’s first-ever win over Mississippi State. The Tigers held the Bulldogs to one run and avoided any errors for the ninth time in 10 games.
Mizzou improves to 18-5 (2-2 SEC) on the year while Mississippi State moves to 12-11 (0-4).
After Mizzou head coach Steve Bieser shook up the weekend rotation, sophomore lefty T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) earned the win for the Tigers during his first start of the season. The preseason All-American went a season-high 7.0 innings while striking out seven and allowing just one run on four hits. Mississippi State starter Konnor Pilkington took the loss, falling to 1-3.
TURNING POINT
In the bottom of the third inning, neither team had scratched across a run. Back-to-back hits by senior OF Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) put two men on for senior C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.). He stepped to the plate and after an eight-pitch at bat, blasted an RBI single to score Harris and advance Misner to third. A wild pitch helped bring in Misner to give the Tigers a pair of runs and a 2-0 lead.
Mizzou then tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh. The first came on a Bond RBI single as Harris and Misner reached base in front of him again, setting up another big inning. Mizzou got its fourth run on a double-steal as Misner advanced home for the fourth run, putting the game away.
TOP TIGERS
– Sophomore LHP T.J. Sikkema made his first start of the season Friday and was dominant over 7.0 innings, his longest outing since a complete game, four-hitter at Tennessee on May 18, 2017. He allowed just four hits and a run (solo homer in the sixth) with one walk while matching a season-high seven strikeouts.
– Senior C Brett Bond had a pair of RBI singles, going 3-for-3 with two RBI as he delivered in big spots twice during the win.
– Sophomore CF Kameron Misner went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base. He leads the SEC with 33 runs.
– Senior RF Trey Harris went 1-for-3 with two runs and was hit by a pitch. He is second in the SEC in runs with 32.
– Junior 2B Paul Gomez turned in his third two-hit game of the season.
– Senior RHP Andy Toelken tallied his first career save Friday, tossing the final 2.0 innings.
NOTES
– Mizzou won its first ever game over Mississippi State Friday. MSU had won the first eight meetings as the series is now 8-1.
– Mizzou moves its home winning streak to 15 straight games, its longest since winning May 5, 2006 through March 23, 2007, when it won 16 straight at home, marking the longest such streak in 11 years to the day.
– Mizzou moves to 5-1 on Friday nights this season.
– Mizzou is now 10-3 in three-game series this season.
– Mizzou is 15-1 when scoring first this season.
– Mizzou has committed just one error in its last 10 games and now is fielding at .984, a top-10 mark nationally. Mizzou now has 14 errorless games this season in 23 contests – Mizzou had just 16 such games all of last season.
– Mizzou is 13-1 when not committing an error this season.
– Sophomore CF Kameron Misner singled in the first inning, extending his hitting streak to five straight games and he has reached base in 15 straight.
Misner now has five straight multi-hit games and 12 on the season.
– Misner stole his SEC-best 12th base Friday and scored his SEC-leading 33rd run.
– Senior OF Trey Harris scored his 32nd run, second in the SEC, and has reached base safely in 15 straight games.
– Mizzou tagged Mississippi State starter Konnor Pilkington for a season-high nine hits and a season-high two walks. Mizzou struck out just five times against Pilkington, his second-lowest total of the season.
– T.J. Sikkema had thrown 7.0 innings in his previous five outings before going a season-long 7.0 innings Friday night. His seven strikeouts were his most since his first appearance of the season at No. 24 Miami during week two.
UP NEXT
Mizzou and Mississippi State will play again Saturday at 2 p.m.
— Mizzou Athletics —