COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 25 Mizzou Baseball won its 14th consecutive home game after defeating Arkansas State, 14-9, Wednesday afternoon at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou scored seven runs in the fifth inning and matched a 62-year old school record with 10 stolen bases in the game – including five in the seven-run fifth alone – as it took control of the game at that point.

Mizzou improves to 17-5 on the year while Arkansas State moves to 8-10. The Tigers have won 14 straight home games for the first time since May 5, 2006, through March 16, 2007.

Junior righty Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) earned the win, settling things down with 3.0 shutout innings while Mizzou pulled away through the middle innings. Arkansas State starter Zachary Patterson took the loss, falling to 0-1.

TURNING POINT
Heading to the bottom of the third inning, Mizzou trailed 4-3. The Tigers plated a pair of runs in the inning to take a 5-3 lead. Mizzou tacked on one more run in the fourth as RHP Brian Sharp began to settle things down on the mound. Mizzou then exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, using four walks and five hits (all singles) in the frame.

The big blow came on a Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) bases-loaded two-run, two-out single. Arkansas State actually got to two outs in the inning before Misner’s hit as nine straight Tigers reached base after a two-out walk by leadoff man Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.). Eight of Mizzou’s nine hitters reached base at least once in the fifth inning.

TOP TIGERS
– Sophomore 1B Kameron Misner went 2-for-3 with two runs, four RBI and three stolen bases. He also walked once.

– Junior RHP Brian Sharp earned his second win after tossing 3.0 shutout innings, allowing just one hit with three strikeouts. He also walked three times at the plate.

– Freshman Mark Vierling went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.

– Junior OF Connor Brumfield went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI and three stolen bases.

– INF Paul Gomez and C Chad McDaniel each tallied multi-hit games Wednesday. McDaniel also walked twice.

– Junior OF Zach Hanna drew a career-high three walks and added a hit, an RBI and three runs.

NOTES
– Mizzou now leads the all-time series with Arkansas State, 20-8.

– Mizzou is now 3-0 on Wednesdays this season.

– Mizzou moves to a perfect 11-0 on the year at home and has won 14 consecutive home games dating back to last season. That is the longest regular season home winning streak for Mizzou since May 5, 2006, through March 18, 2007, when it won 16 straight.

– Mizzou improves to 6-0 this season in midweek games and 13-4 in midweek games under second-year head coach Steve Bieser.

– Mizzou did not commit an error for the fourth consecutive game and has just one error in its last nine contests. Mizzou’s fielding percentage is up to .983 on the year.

– Mizzou scored 10+ runs for the sixth time this season and is 6-0 in such contests.

– Mizzou stole 10 bases Wednesday, matching a 62-year-old school record. Mizzou stole five bases in the fifth inning alone.

– Kameron Misner and Connor Brumfield each stole three bases Wednesday, becoming the first Tigers to do so since Brumfield had three against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on April 11, 2017.

– Freshman Chad McDaniel made his first career start at catcher Wednesday.

– Mizzou won for just the third time this season when scoring second in a game.

UP NEXT
Mizzou opens a three-game series with SEC West foe Mississippi State Friday at 6:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 25 Mizzou Baseball won the first of two games vs. Arkansas State, 11-1, Tuesday evening at Taylor Stadium, improving the Tigers to 16-5. Mizzou has now won 10 consecutive home games to open the 2018 campaign and has won 13 straight at home dating back to last season.

LHP Junior Tyler LaPlante (Blue Springs, Mo.) earned the win, improving to 3-0 on the year. In his third start of the season, LaPlante went 5.0 shutout innings, and surrendered just three hits in the outing. He struck out four and walked just one in another stellar midweek start.

Mizzou pitchers had an impressive game, striking out 10 batters while keeping Arkansas State off the scoreboard until the seventh inning. Mizzou pitching threw just 111 pitches in 9.0 innings of work Tuesday.

Arkansas State drops to 8-9 for the season. The two teams will play the second and final game of the midweek series Wednesday at 4 p.m.

TURNING POINT
Mizzou scored a run on an RBI single in the first inning as Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) ripped a fastball past down the right field line to put Mizzou on the board before an out was recorded in the frame. Senior OF Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) opened the inning by reaching on a hit-by-pitch before stealing second base. It was the 10th time in Mizzou’s last 12 games that it has scored in the first inning.

Junior LHP Tyler LaPlante (Blue Springs, Mo.) took over from there, tossing 5.0 shutout innings, allowing just three hits in his third win of the season. Mizzou scored three more runs in the second, two in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth to back another great outing from LaPlante. Mizzou’s bullpen allowed just one run over the final four innings on an RBI groundout while the staff threw just 111 pitches in the outing.

TOP TIGERS
– Junior LHP Tyler LaPlante was again outstanding in his third start of the season, going 5.0 innings while scattering only three hits with four strikeouts against one walk. On the year, he is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 20.0 innings, striking out 14.

– Senior 3B Alex Samples tallied his first career three-hit game and drove in a career-high five runs Tuesday.

– Junior OF Connor Brumfield tallied his third game with three or more hits this season Tuesday, going 3-for-3. He scored three runs in the game.

– Mizzou senior OF Trey Harris stole his team-leading eight base in the first inning. He now has 33 career steals, which is tied for eighth in school history with Dick Dickinson.

– Sophomore CF Kameron Misner reached base in four of four plate appearances, notching his team-leading 10th multi-hit game of the season. He had an RBI single in the first and an RBI double in the fifth.

NOTES
– Mizzou now leads the all-time series with Arkansas State, 19-8.

– Mizzou is now 3-0 on Tuesdays this season.

– Mizzou moves to a perfect 10-0 on the year at home and has won 13 consecutive home games dating back to last season.

– Mizzou improves to 5-0 this season in midweek games and 12-4 in midweek games under second-year head coach Steve Bieser.

– Mizzou scored in the first inning for the 10th time in the last 12 games. Mizzou is outscoring opponents 27-8 this season and has 86 runs in the first inning under head coach Steve Bieser (80 games, 1.08 per game).

– Mizzou scored 10+ runs for the fifth time this season and is 5-0 in such games.

– Mizzou did not commit an error for the third consecutive game and has just one error in its last eight contests. Mizzou’s fielding percentage is up to .983 on the year.

UP NEXT
Mizzou and Arkansas State will close the two-game midweek series Wednesday at 4 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 24 Mizzou Baseball dropped the rubber game of a three-game series, 7-5, vs. No. 16 LSU Sunday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium. Mizzou scored two runs in the first inning, but LSU scored single runs in each of the first three innings before putting the game away with a three-run sixth inning. Mizzou falls to 15-5 (1-2 SEC) on the year while LSU improves to 14-7 (2-1 SEC).

Mizzou senior RHP Andy Toelken (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over the first 3.0 innings. LSU starter Ma’Khail Hillard earned the win after striking out a career-high six Mizzou batters over 6.0 innings, scattering six hits with a walk.

Mizzou threatened in the ninth inning, getting three runs on Kameron Misner’s (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) fourth homer of the season, cutting the lead to 7-5. But LSU’s Austin Bain got the final two outs of the frame to seal the win.

TURNING POINT
Freshman RHP Konnor Ash (Plainfield, Ill.) came in and settled things down nicely after LSU scored a run in each of the first three innings. He kept Mizzou within striking distance at 3-2 until a leadoff walk in the sixth inning. LSU then got a walk and three straight singles off reliever LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) to extend the lead to 6-2, putting the game out of reach for Mizzou.

TOP TIGERS
– Senior OF Trey Harris tallied three hits from the leadoff spot, also walking and scoring run. He now leads the team with four three-hit games this season.

– Freshman DH Chad McDaniel had two hits with an RBI in the first inning.

– Sophomore CF Kameron Misner hit a three-run, ninth inning homer to cut the lead to 7-5. It was his team-leading fourth.

NOTES
– Mizzou now trails the all-time series with LSU, 14-1.

– Mizzou is now 24-15 away from home under second-year head coach Steve Bieser.

– Mizzou is now 9-3 in three-game series this season.

– Mizzou falls to 2-2 on Sundays this season.

– Mizzou falls to 3-2 this season vs. ranked opponents.

– Mizzou is now 9-9 during the opening weekend of SEC play since joining the league in 2013.

– Mizzou had its first rain delay since April 30, 2017, vs. Texas A&M. Sunday’s game was delayed by 62 minutes following a rain shower minutes before first pitch.

– Senior OF Trey Harris singled in the first inning and tallied a first-inning hit in every game of the three-game set vs. LSU. He posted his eighth multi-hit game of the year Sunday.

– Mizzou snapped a 17.2 shutout inning streak by LSU starter Ma’Khail Hilliard with two runs in the top of the first inning. Mizzou has scored in the first inning in nine of the last 11 games.

– Freshman DH Chad McDaniel tallied his second career multi-hit game Sunday, posting a pair of singles in his first two at-bats.

UP NEXT
Mizzou will return home for a five-game homestand, beginning Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. game vs. Arkansas State

— Mizzou Athletics —

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Hands on her knees, China Dow watched intently as the clock ticked down. Finally, she could let out all the emotion and exuberance and began hugging everyone in sight.

The Florida Gulf Coast senior then skipped across the court in Maples Pavilion screaming in delight while waving her arms toward the fittingly green-clad crowd on St. Patrick’s Day.

For the Eagles, the gold was their all-out grit.

Dow scored 21 points and played stingy defense in the paint against Missouri star Sophie Cunningham, and No. 12 seed Florida Gulf Coast pulled off an upset in the Lexington Regional with an 80-70 win Saturday against the fifth-seeded Tigers.

“We’re just putting our name on the map to let people know we are not just a soft, mid-major team,” Dow said. “We can compete with the best of the best.”

Cunningham took over on the low block to get Missouri (24-8) going and scored a season-high 35 points — most by a Tigers player in an NCAA tournament game — and made 14 of 16 free throws. But she didn’t get much help.

Dow made two free throws with 1:12 left as the Eagles kept pushing until the final buzzer to run their winning streak to 11 games with a 21st victory in the last 22 games.

Florida Gulf Coast (31-4) will play Monday against No. 4 seed Stanford (23-10), an 82-68 winner against 13th-seeded Gonzaga in Saturday’s second game. Hall of Fame Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer will face Eagles coach Karl Smesko after VanDerveer won her 900th career game against him at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in November 2013.

Leading scorer Rose Julien — averaging 13.4 points — added 12 points for Florida Gulf Coast, which is in the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in seven years with Division I postseason eligibility and won an NCAA game for the first time since beating Oklahoma State in 2015.

The scrappy Eagles stayed within 36-32 on rebounds to Missouri without having a single 6-footer on the roster.

“It’s an upset in terms of seeding, but we definitely came in with the mindset that this was a game we can win if we executed at a high level,” Smesko said.

Lauren Aldridge’s 3-pointer with 2:13 left in the third cut FGCU’s lead to 54-50 then Tytionia Adderly immediately hit from deep on the other end and the Eagles led 61-53 going into the fourth.

Florida Gulf Coast didn’t immediately get the kind of 3-point looks it is so used to, but the Eagles patiently kept pushing the ball in transition and drove to the basket and kicked out to start creating those crucial open looks from deep.

Mizzou won its SEC Tournament opener and earned a third straight NCAA berth, the first time the program has done so since 1984-86, but missed out on earning at least one victory in three straight tournaments for the first time in school history.

Florida Gulf Coast got key minutes off the bench from Jessica Cattani, who hit two quick 3-pointers during an 8-3 second-quarter run, then Cunningham converted back-to-back layups for Missouri. Cattani finished with 10 points.

Late in the second after Dow hit a 3-pointer on the other end then pounded with Cunningham inside and other FGCU defenders swarmed, Cunningham still was able to find a way to almost underhand the ball up and into the hoop. Dow hit another 3 the next time down and her team led 41-32 at halftime.

HEIGHT ADVANTAGE

Even with a big performance, Cunningham expected more of herself given her height advantage.

She shot 10 for 16 but also committed five of her team’s 16 turnovers.

“Very good defensive team. We just need to value the ball more,” Cunningham said. “They did push us out farther than we wanted to, credit to them.”

BIG PICTURE

Florida Gulf Coast: The Eagles converted just 23 of 37 free throws, probably something that will be a focus going into the second round Monday. … FGCU missed its first four shots before Nasrin Ulel’s driving layup at the 7:36 mark of the first quarter. … The Atlantic Sun Conference champions use the hashtag “RAININGTHREES” as a catchphrase for their 3-point prowess. They have made 414 3s this season, 10 off Sacramento State’s single-season record of 424 set in 2014-15.

Missouri: The Tigers shot 4 for 24 on 3s. … Cunningham notched her 13th game this season with at least 20 points. … Jordan Frericks had two early blocked shots to help the Tigers establish their defense in the paint and on the perimeter.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 24 Mizzou Baseball extended its win streak to nine games with a 9-4 victory over No. 20 Wichita State Tuesday evening at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou junior LHP Tyler LaPlante (Blue Springs, Mo.) led Mizzou to its second win over a ranked opponent this season, working 8.0 innings of one-run ball while allowing only three hits and striking out five.

Offensively, Mizzou worked quality at bats all evening and scored in five separate innings. The Tigers racked up nine runs on nine hits and also drew seven walks and reached on four HBPs. Mizzou’s patient approach at the plate paid off as the Shockers had to deploy six pitchers and averaged nearly 23 pitches per inning.

Turning Point
Mizzou’s offense settled in at the plate immediately as it pushed across a pair of runs in the game’s first frame. Junior leadoff man Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) ripped a leadoff single and Mizzou followed with a handful of quality at bats. Mizzou drew four consecutive walks with one out in the first, two of which forced in runs. Overall, Mizzou forced Wichita State starter Preston Snavely to throw 39 pitches and held a 2-0 lead after one. The advantage proved to be an important cushion for Mizzou starter Tyler LaPlante.

LaPlante was dominant on the mound for Mizzou all evening as he kept the Shockers off balance with a mixture of well-located fastballs while mixing in three off-speed pitches. LaPlante controlled the game during the middle innings, striking out four and allowing only one base-hit during a stretch of 14 batters. Meanwhile, the Mizzou offense continued to battle, allowing LaPante to depart in the eighth inning with a 7-1 advantage.

Top Tigers
– LaPante’s second career start in a Mizzou uniform was a gem, an 8.0-inning outing that included five Ks and only six baserunners. LaPante has now allowed only two runs over 15.0 innings of work while issuing only four free passes and striking out 10.

– Sophomore SS Chris Cornelius (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded a pair of doubles and knocked in a run in four trips to the plate. Cornelius now has combined for five hits in Mizzou’s pair of wins over ranked teams this season.

– Sophomore 1B Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) had a pair of both walks and hits, one being a double. Misner’s free passes give him a total of 23 this season, the second-most in Division I college baseball.

– Junior 3B Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) recorded a pair of base hits and knocked in two runs while also drawing a walk. The junior has now knocked in runs in eight straight ballgames.

Notes
– With a victory over No. 20 Wichita State, Mizzou closes out a home stand with nine straight victories. The Tigers are now 2-0 against ranked opponents this season, previously defeating then No. 24 ranked Miami 9-0 on Feb. 21. The team has outscored ranked opponents 18-4.

– Tonight’s win gives the Tigers a 6-5 lead in the all-time series against Wichita State. Mizzou won the previous matchup April 22, 2014, with a 10th inning walk-off.

– The Tigers have now scored in the first inning in eight straight games. The team has put runs on the board in the first inning in 11 of 17 games this season. Since head coach Steve Bieser took over the program, the Tigers average 1.09 runs in the first inning in his first 76 games. Mizzou has outscored opponents 24-5 in the first inning this season.

– Senior Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) scored his 25 run this season, leading the SEC.

– Mizzou’s seven drawn walks are the most allowed by the Wichita State squad this season.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball is headed back to the NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 5 seed in the Lexington Region. Mizzou clinched its third consecutive berth to the Big Dance for the first time since 1984-86.

No. 5 Mizzou (24-7) will face No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast (30-4) on Saturday, March 17, in Stanford, California. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The winner will take on either No. 4 Stanford or No. 13 Gonzaga in the Second Round on Monday, March 19.

Mizzou’s No. 5 seed is the program’s highest ever in a 64-team NCAA Tournament and the highest since the Tigers secured a No. 4 seed in the 32-team 1984 NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are searching for victories in three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history.

Mizzou’s selection in this season’s Big Dance is the 12th program history and the third under head coach Robin Pingeton. The Tigers have six all-time NCAA Tournament wins, with five of those coming by single digits, including Mizzou’s 66-64 triumph over South Florida last season.

Mizzou enters the NCAA Tournament having won 24 games, the most victories in a season since 1983-84. Pingeton’s squad has cemented three consecutive campaigns with at least 22 wins for the first time since 1982-85.

The Tigers face off with Florida Gulf Coast for the first time in program history. Mizzou is 1-4 all-time vs. Stanford and 0-0 all-time vs. Gonzaga.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Basketball is back in March Madness. Head coach Cuonzo Martin’s Tigers hosted a watch party at Mizzou Arena on Sunday evening and an excited group of Black & Gold supporters cheered as Mizzou was announced as the No. 8 seed in the West Region of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

No. 8 Mizzou (20-12) takes on No. 9 Florida State (20-11 – 8th-place in the ACC) on Friday, March 16, in Nashville, Tennessee. Tipoff for the Tigers’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013 will be at approximately 8:45 p.m. CT on TBS.

Martin has now led three different programs to NCAA Tournament appearances, becoming the 59th different head coach to do so after his prior trips with Tennessee (NCAA Sweet 16, 2013-14) and California (NCAA First Round, 2015-16).

Mizzou’s selection to this season’s Big Dance is the 27th in program history. Martin is the third first-year Mizzou head coach all-time to lead the Tigers to an NCAA Tournament appearance, with Quin Snyder and Frank Haith accomplishing the feat in 2000 and 2012, respectively.

The Tigers are the No. 8 seed for the third time in program history, last playing as the eighth-seeded team during the 1999 NCAA Tournament, when Mizzou dropped a 61-59 heartbreaker to ninth-seeded New Mexico in Denver, Colorado, in what ultimately proved to be the final game ever coached by Mizzou Hall of Fame Coach Norm Stewart. Mizzou is 1-2 overall playing as the No. 8 seed, with all three outings as part of the West Regional.

Mizzou’s placement in the West Regional marks the third time in its last four (and ninth in its last 14) NCAA Tournament appearances that the Tigers have been shipped West from a bracketology standpoint. The Tigers’ matchup with Florida State will mark the first meeting between the programs since Dec. 19, 1980, when the Seminoles claimed a 68-64 win in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the Cotton States Classic. Florida State holds a 2-1 edge in the overall series history.

— Mizzou Athletics —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — With the Southeastern Conference tournament in St. Louis and heralded freshman Michael Porter Jr. returning, Missouri fans were hoping to be treated to a weekend-long show from the Tigers.

Yante Maten and the Georgia Bulldogs did their best job to prevent that from happening.

Maten scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Georgia squeaked out a 62-60 victory over Missouri in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday.

Georgia, the 12th seed, led throughout the second half, but fifth-seeded Missouri narrowed the Bulldogs’ lead to just two points with seven seconds left. The Tigers drew up a play for their leading scorer, Kassius Robertson. But Robertson’s 3-point attempt went long and Georgia secured the victory.

After starting the game down 10-0, the Bulldogs (18-14), who face fourth-seeded Kentucky in Friday’s second quarterfinal, charged back with a 12-0 run of their own. The trend continued throughout the contest: Missouri makes a run, Georgia responds.

“I felt like we got off to a very slow start but eventually found a rhythm defensively in the first half,” Georgia coach Mark Fox said. “(We) were able to just kind of grind to the finish.”

Maten and the Bulldogs put Missouri in foul trouble early. Missouri bigs Jeremiah Tilmon and Kevin Puryear fouled out and Jontay Porter finished with four fouls.

“We did a poor job of fouling,” Robertson said. “We put them in the bonus really early, and they made a lot of money at the free-throw line.”

Jontay Porter led Missouri (20-12) with 20 points and eight rebounds. His brother, Michael, a projected lottery pick who played just two minutes in the season opener and later had surgery, finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, but shot just 5 for 17 from the field.

Teshaun Hightower came up big off the bench for Georgia, matching his career high of 13 points. Hightower played a big role in Georgia’s win over Vanderbilt Wednesday night, when he scored 13 and had six assists.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia: The Bulldogs looked impressive against Vanderbilt in the first round, and they looked solid against Missouri here in the second as well. Maten will need to have a big game against Kentucky to keep Georgia’s tournament hopes afloat.

Missouri: With a home court advantage, Missouri was obviously hoping to make it past the second round in the tournament. But the Tigers should still be safe on Selection Sunday. Porter Jr. looked good at times, but he didn’t shoot well overall. If the Tigers make the NCAA tournament, it will be interesting to see his role Missouri’s offense.

JONTAY VS. YANTE

Missouri’s Jontay Porter and Georgia’s Maten were going back and forth on the offensive end and on the boards. Each player led his team in both points and rebounding. For Porter, the 20-point performance marked his fourth game with 15 or more points in his last five contests.

“He’s coming in and consistently getting the work in, working on his shots, ball-handling, his passing,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said.

For Georgia, Maten’s 21-point performance comes after his 25-point showing against Vanderbilt in the first round.

“He’s been just a tremendous producer for us this year,” Fox said. “He can shoot threes, he can get to the foul line, he can post up and go over both shoulders.”

STAR WATCH

Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. played the fifth-most minutes of Missouri players Thursday, but shot seven more times than any of his teammates. Many questioned whether Porter Jr.’s return would hurt the team’s offensive flow. And while Martin said Missouri’s offense didn’t flow as well, he attributed that to foul trouble, rather than Porter’s return.

“Because of foul trouble, we put him in some spots that he wasn’t accustomed to from the time he was practicing,” Martin said. “I was really trying to put him in a position where he’s a spot-shooter.”

UP NEXT

Georgia will take on Kentucky on Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament.

Missouri will wait until Sunday to figure out where it will go next.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri standout Michael Porter Jr. will return to play at the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday — his first time in a game since the season opener.

Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin announced the move Wednesday, one day before the fifth-seeded Tigers (20-11) play either Georgia or Vanderbilt in the second round of the tournament.

The 6-foot-10 Porter, the top prep prospect in the country last season, has been out since playing only two minutes in the Tigers’ season-opening win over Iowa State. He underwent surgery in November and was expected to miss the rest of the season.

After being cleared to practice almost two weeks ago, Porter showed enough progress that both he and Martin felt comfortable putting the forward into a game.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Reigning SEC Player of the Week Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) hit a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to back a sensational start by senior RHP Andy Toelken (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) as Mizzou Baseball completed a sweep of UMBC with a 5-0 win Sunday at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou has now won five straight games and moves to 10-3 on the year. UMBC falls to 1-6 on the season.

Toelken was sensational in his third start of the season, going 6.1 shutout innings while scattering just six hits with five strikeouts and just one walk. He pitched into the seventh inning, earning his first win of the season. Freshman righty Ian Bedell (Davenport, Iowa) threw the final 2.2 innings, not allowing a hit or a run while striking out four in his first career save.

TURNING POINT
Mizzou entered the bottom of the fifth leading 1-0. After UMBC got the first two outs, Mizzou appeared to be in danger of stranding two runners on base in a tight ball game, but junior 3B Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) had other plans. After a nine-pitch at-bat, Sharp lifted an outside pitch the opposite way, just clearing the fence in left field, landing in Mizzou’s bullpen, for a three-run homer. That put the game away as Ian Bedell (Davenport, Iowa) threw the final 2.2 innings, shutting down the Retriever order.

TOP TIGERS
– Senior RHP Andy Toelken pitched a season-long 6.1 innings, scattering just six hits without a run. He struck out five and walked just one. It was his longest outing since May 2, 2017, when he went 7.0 innings midweek vs. Murray State.

– Junior 3B Brian Sharp continued his torrid pace to the 2018 season, hitting a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was his third homer of the season and he now leads the team with 18 RBI this season.

– Senior OF Trey Harris tallied his team-leading sixth multi-hit game and extended his hitting streak to five games.

– Freshman Mark Vierling tallied three hits in the win and now leads Mizzou with three three-hit games this season.

– Freshman RHP Ian Bedell tallied his first career save after throwing the final 2.2 innings without allowing a run or a hit. He struck out four.

NOTES
– Mizzou now leads the all-time series with UMBC, 3-0.

– Mizzou improves to 1-2 on Sundays this season.

– Mizzou has scored in the first inning in four consecutive games. Mizzou is 6-1 when scoring in the first inning this season.

– Mizzou turned in its third shutout of the season Sunday.

– Mizzou has won five in a row, completing a perfect 5-0 week for the first time since March 7-12, 2017.

– Senior OF Trey Harris extended his hitting streak to five games with an RBI single through the right side in the first inning. Harris also turned in his team-leading sixth multi-hit game of the year Sunday.

– Junior 3B Brian Sharp hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning, his third of the year. He is now tied for the team lead with three multi-RBI games this season. He is now just one homer shy of matching his total from a season ago.

– Freshman DH Chad McDaniel hit his first career double, driving in a run in the eighth inning.

UP NEXT
Mizzou and Maryland-Baltimore County will play the series finale Sunday at 12 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —