COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball (21-21) topped Missouri State (28-11), 17-9, on Tuesday night (April 26) thanks to a pair of two-run bombs over the left field wall by Shane Benes (Town and Country, Mo.) and Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.). It was a team effort on offense as all nine Missouri players recorded a hit in the game, including six players with at least two hits, as Mizzou scored a season-high 17 runs.
RHP Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) took the ball for Mizzou for his second start of the season and earned his third win of the season. Bartlett kicked off a strong showing on the mound, retiring the first seven batters face and limiting Missouri State to just two hits, one run and one walk through five innings pitched. He finished the night with a career-high four strikeouts.
Lavy led the Mizzou offense with three hits and six RBI, the most for a Tiger since Eric Garcia on March 20, 2010, against Purdue. He also finished a triple shy of the cycle. Benes added three hits and five RBI of his own, including a two-run homer, good for his fifth home run this season. Marquise Doherty (Kansas City, Mo.) and Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) each contributed to the offensive effort with two hits apiece, Doherty with his first career multi-RBI game.
A pair of walks by Missouri State put two runners on base early in the second for Mizzou. Doherty capitalized with a RBI single to the right side, the second of his career. Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) followed up with a line shot to right, scoring Ian Nelson (Lake St. Louis, Mo.) and Doherty and giving Mizzou the 3-0 lead to end the second.
Lavy continued the offensive dominance for Missouri in the third with a rip to right field for a RBI double, tallying his 17th on the season. Benes followed up with a grounder to left center, scoring Lavy. Doherty recorded his second hit of the game with a liner to center putting Missouri up, 6-0.
A solo home run by Spencer Johnson in the fourth put Missouri State on the board but Mizzou responded with an explosive bottom half-inning. Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) and Howard rounded up a pair of singles to kick off the fourth inning and Lavy knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to left field. A Harris single up the middle set Benes up for a two-run blast over the bullpen, putting Mizzou ahead 10-1.
Missouri State threatened in the sixth with a four-run rally after a triple to right field by Steinmetz got the ball rolling. Jake Burger, Justin Paulsen and Jeremy Eierman all tallied RBI singles to bring MSU to within five. Mizzou answered with three runs in the sixth inning off a hard hit single by Benes and two in the seventh inning after a two-run shot by Lavy.
Paulsen tallied the fifth home run of the game with a two-run ball over the left center wall. Missouri State closed out the game with a three-run ninth inning but could not match Mizzou’s offensive production.
Mizzou begins a three game series with Tennessee on Friday at Taylor Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
— Mizzou Athletics —