LEXINGTON, Ky. – Mizzou Baseball earned a hard-fought 14-11 win in game two of its series at No. 13 Kentucky Saturday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Field. Mizzou ran out to a 9-2 lead before a six-run sixth inning from the Wildcats tightened things up. The Tigers then got five runs in the eighth inning, three on Trey Harris’ team-leading eighth homer, to put the game away. The slugfest came less than 24 hours removed from a Friday night pitcher’s duel in game one.

Mizzou evens the series with the Wildcats and improves to 29-14 and 9-11 in SEC play. Kentucky falls to 28-15 and 9-11 in SEC play, setting up a huge Sunday rubber game at noon (CT) tomorrow on SEC Network+. Junior LHP Michael Plassmeyer earned the win, improving to 5-2 on the year. He allowed six runs on nine hits while striking out seven. RS junior Bryce Montes De Oca earned his first career save.

Mizzou scored its most runs in an SEC game this year and most in a league game during the Steve Bieser era. It was the most runs scored by Mizzou in an SEC game since May 2, 2015, when the Tigers hung 18 on Ole Miss. The 14 runs match the most ever by a Mizzou team in a road SEC contest. Mizzou also scored 14 at Tennessee on March 23, 2013, its first season in the league.

TURNING POINT

Saturday’s game was wild as Mizzou opened a 9-2 lead before Kentucky took advantage of six hits, two walks and a big error to plate six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the lead to 9-8. Kentucky could have had more in the inning, but Mizzou reliever Andy Toelken pitched out of the jam to preserve the lead.

Clinging to a one-run lead with momentum clearly swinging towards the nationally-ranked Wildcats, senior 3B Alex Samples led off the eighth inning with a double, kick-starting a five-run frame that put the game out of reach. Junior SS Paul Gomez delivered a big two-run single with one out and senior Trey Harris delivered the big blow, a three-run homer off the scoreboard in left center, his eighth of the year.

Bryce Montes De Oca locked things down from there, allowing just one hit and one walk over the final 1.1 innings to complete the win. Mizzou hit a season-high four homers in the win, its most since April 15, 2017, also against Kentucky.

QUOTING MIZZOU

Head Coach Steve Bieser

“Wild is a good way to explain it. I thought the resiliency of our offense to keep coming back and keep coming back, they made it really hard on Kentucky’s pitchers. They did a good job of sticking to their approach. That’s something we challenged them to do after last night and I think they took that to heart. We have to come back tomorrow and have the same approach. We have a big opportunitytomorrow to go out and win a series.”

TOP TIGERS

• Junior 1B Brian Sharp hit his fourth homer of the year in the third inning, his first since March 4 against Maryland-Baltimore County. He extended his hitting streak to four games with that homer, a solo shot to right. Sharp tallied his 11^th multi-hit game of the season and second in the series Saturday.
• Freshman CF Cade Bormet extended his hitting streak to seven games with an RBI single in the second inning.
• Senior 3B Alex Samples posted an RBI in the second inning.
• Freshman DH Chad McDaniel tallied his seventh multi-hit game of the season and now has six of those in his last 18 games. He is hitting 19-for-51 (.373) over his last 18 games. He had a career-high four hits Saturday.
• Senior 2B Matt Berler hit his first homer of the season, a three-run shot, in the in fourth inning. It was his first homer since May 23, 2017, in the SEC Tournament opener vs. Texas A&M.
• Junior OF Zach Hanna hit his fourth homer of the season.
• Junior SS Paul Gomez tallied the biggest hit of his career with a two-run single in the top of the eighth inning to extend Mizzou’s advantage to 11-8.
• Senior OF Trey Harris blasted his team-leading eighth homer of the season and drove in three runs while scoring two more.

NOTES

• With the win, Mizzou cuts Kentucky’s advantage in the all-time series to 8-7.
• Mizzou improves to 9-6 on Saturdays this season.
• Mizzou is now 17-13 in three-game series this season.
• Mizzou is now 9-8 against ranked teams this season with six of the wins coming on the road.
• Mizzou is now 7-8 in day games this season.
• Mizzou hit a season-high four homers Saturday. Mizzou had just three homers in its previous nine games combined and just five in 19 SEC games before Saturday. The four homers for Mizzou are its most since April 15, 2017, also against Kentucky.
• Mizzou is now 4-0 when hitting multiple homers this season.
• Mizzou scored more than 10 runs for the eighth time this season and first time since April 4 against SIU-Edwardsville. It was the second time in 20 SEC games that Mizzou hung 10 or more runs and the first time since May 17 at LSU.
• Mizzou’s 14 runs are its most in an SEC game since May 2, 2015, when it scored 18 against Ole Miss. It matches the most ever for Mizzou scored in an SEC road game. Mizzou had 14 against Tennessee in Knoxville on May 23, 2013.

UP NEXT

Mizzou and Kentucky will close their series Sunday at noon.

— MWSU Athletics —