COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 25 Mizzou Baseball scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game before freshman INF Mark Vierling (St. Louis, Mo.) hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th inning at the Tigers rallied past Mississippi State for a 5-4 win Sunday (March 25) at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou improves to 19-6 and 3-3 in SEC while winning its first ever series against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs fall to 13-12 on the year and 1-5 in SEC play.
Senior RHP Andy Toelken (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) earned the win after throwing a shutout 11th inning, improving to 3-2 on the season. Mississippi State’s JP France took the loss, falling to 1-1. Vierling had the RBI that tied the game in the ninth and the RBI that won the game in the 11th.
Mizzou has now won 13 of 14 home games this season. The Tigers play four games on the road next week, beginning Wednesday with a 3 p.m. game at Western Illinois.
TURNING POINT
Mississippi State carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning after getting three runs on four straight hits in the top of the seventh. A pinch-hit single by junior OF Zach Hanna (Shawnee, Kan.) game Mizzou life in the ninth as he lifted a pitch into center field for his first hit of the day. A throwing error put the tying run on base for leadoff man, senior Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.). He ripped an RBI single up the middle to cut the lead to 4-3.
After a Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) walk to load the bases, Vierling hit into what appeared to be a game-ending double play, but MSU 3B Jordan Westburg bobbled the ball as he tried to step on third, allowing each runner to advance safely on the error, including the tying run at home as Mizzou knotted things up at 4-4. Misner’s walk to load the bases came after he fell behind in the count, 0-2.
After Toelken threw a shutout 11th, Mizzou got things going in the bottom of the frame, again sparked by a single from Harris. Misner followed with another single to move Harris to third, but we did not stay there for long. Vierling lifted the game-winning sacrifice fly off of France to left field and Harris trotted home to score the winning run.
TOP TIGERS
– Sophomore CF/1B Kameron Misner continued his hot play as of late, proving why he is one of the best hitters in the SEC. He went 3-for-4 with a run and two walks and now has multiple hits in eight of his last 10 games.
– Senior OF Trey Harris also turned in a three-hit performance, his ninth multi-hit game of the season. He scored the game-winning run, one of two on the day, and drove in another from the leadoff spot.
– Freshman INF Mark Vierling had two RBI, one to tie the game in the ninth and another to win it in the 11th.
NOTES
– Mizzou won its first ever series over Mississippi State and cut into the all-time series lead at 9-2.
– Mizzou improves to 2-3 on Sundays this season.
– Mizzou is now 2-1 in extra innings this season.
– Mizzou is now 11-4 in three-game series this season and 1-1 in rubber games.
– Mizzou scored again in the first inning on Sunday and is now 12-2 in such contests this season.
– Senior OF Trey Harris was hit by his ninth pitch this season to leadoff the game. That ties him for second in the SEC this season, trailing only Arkansas’ Heston Kjerstad.
– Kameron Misner drew two walks Sunday, moving his national-best total to 31. He walked 23 times all of last season. He leads the SEC with a .565 OPB and reached in five of six plate appearances Sunday.
– Misner and Harris combined to go 6-for-9 with three runs, an RBI and two walks as they sparked the Mizzou lineup all day.
UP NEXT
Mizzou will be back in action Wednesday at Western Illinois at 3 p.m.
— Mizzou Athletics —