GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mizzou Baseball dropped its series finale at No. 1 Florida, 7-5, on Sunday afternoon (March 20) at McKethan Stadium. Mizzou rallied from down 6-1 to pull within one run at 6-5 but failed to plate the tying run despite having runners in scoring position with just one out in both the seventh and eighth innings. Florida then added an insurance run in the eighth to pull away for the win. Mizzou falls to 14-9 (0-3 SEC) while Florida goes to 21-1 (3-0 SEC).
Senior Austin Tribby (Springfield, Mo.) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on five hits over 3.0 innings. Florida’s Alex Faedo earned the win, despite Mizzou tagging him for a career-worst five earned runs in the win. He had allowed just four earned runs all year prior to Sunday.
Mizzou’s offense was led by RBI doubles from lefties Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) and Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) and a two-double performance from sophomore Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.). Freshmen Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) and Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) and sophomore Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) tallied RBIs in the loss.
Tribby ran into trouble in the first inning as leadoff hitter Dalton Guthrie worked a nine-pitch at-bat and singled through the left side. CF Buddy Reed then launched a two-run homer two pitches later to put Florida on top, 2-0. Tribby then walked the next two batters, but an infield fly and a 6-4-3 double play got him out of the jam.
After Faedo struck out the side in the top of the second, Tribby came back out and looked to settle down, needing just nine pitches for a 1-2-3 inning in the second. Mizzou then tallied its first run of the game as the bottom of the order got things going. Bond ripped a one-out double, his second of the year, and Ian Nelson (St. Louis, Mo.) moved him to third on a ground ball to the right side. Brumfield then singled to plate Bond, cutting the UF lead in half at 2-1.
As quick as Mizzou cut into the lead, Florida extended it in the next half inning, using a pair of RBI doubles to score three runs to extend the lead to 5-1. RHP Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) relived Tribby in the fourth inning and surrendered a leadoff triple to Nelson Maldonado and a sacrifice fly to left to give Florida a 6-1 lead. LF Harris made a tremendous play on the sacrifice fly, diving to make the catch near the line.
Mizzou then exploded for four runs off of Faedo in the sixth inning, using RBI doubles by Ring and Lavy with an RBI single by Sharp and an RBI groundout by Harris to plate the four runs. An incredible play by Florida 2B Deacon Liput likely saved the tying run on Harris’ RBI groundout.
Ring made two tremendous catches in center in the bottom of the sixth after a leadoff single, but then an infield single and a walk loaded the bases. RHP Liam Carter (Highland Park, Ill.) came on and go J.J. Schwarz to fly out to center to end the inning.
Mizzou then threatened in the seventh inning after a leadoff double by Bond and a two-out walk by Brumfield. But Howard struck out looking off of UF reliever Dane Dunning to strand a pair. Mizzou then stranded the tying run in scoring position in the eighth inning as well. Florida then added insurance in the form of a J.J. Schwarz RBI double to right field for a 7-5 advantage.
Mizzou will be off this midweek as it prepares for a three-game home series over Easter weekend against No. 2 Vanderbilt at Taylor Stadium.
— Mizzou Athletics —