Sports – Page 314 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Griffons score 18 runs to complete three-game sweep of Nebraska-Kearney

Posted on April 23, 2017

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Missouri Western baseball team won their ninth consecutive game Sunday as they defeat Nebraska-Kearney 18-9. It’s the Griffons second straight series sweep as they improve to 25-17 and 22-10 in the MIAA. They are now second in the league standings behind Emporia State.

UNK falls to 13-29 and 6-23 in the MIAA.

NOTABLES
– David Glaude recorded eight RBIs for Missouri Western, the second most for a game in program history

– Glaude blasted two home runs in the win, his first multiple home run game since April 8, 2016

– The Griffons have hit three home runs in back-to-back games as Jeremy Alvarado also went deep in the win

– 18 runs by the Griffons is the most in a game since April 10, 2016 when it scored 22 runs in a win at Central Oklahoma

– The top third of the MWSU line combined for 13 RBIs, 11 runs and nine hits

– Nick Gawley stole his 31st base of the season, setting a new MWSU single season record.

– Missouri Western pitchers struck out 12 batters, the most since March 10 and third most this season

TOP PERFORMERS
– David Glaude was 4-for-5 from the plate with eight RBIs and finished a double short of the cycle

– Dusty Stroup went 2-for-3 with four runs scored and four RBIs

– Nick Gawley scored four runs and drove one run in on three hits

– Jeremy Alvarado had three RBIs as he hit his fifth home run of the season

– Jared Lloyd threw four innings as he gave up three runs and struck out six batters

UP NEXT
Missouri Western travels to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game.

— MWSU Athletics —

Royals lose for a fourth straight day at Texas

Posted on April 23, 2017

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Yu Darvish didn’t get pulled early this time, and didn’t have to try to explain a puzzling loss for Texas.

The Japanese right-hander pitched eight innings in his longest outing since elbow surgery two years ago and the Rangers scored the tying and go-ahead runs without a hit, completing a four-game sweep with a 5-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Darvish retired 15 of 16 batters after giving up three consecutive hits in the third. Two of those were back-to-back solo home runs from Mike Moustakas and Jorge Bonifacio, whose first big league homer came two innings after he singled for his first career hit.

Darvish was coming off a 4-2 loss to Oakland when he imploded in the sixth and was yanked without a chance to work out of trouble with the score tied. He responded with his highest pitch count (113) since Tommy John reconstructive surgery during spring training in 2015.

“He told me since I took him out at 82 that I owed him a lot of pitches,” pitching coach Doug Brocail said. “I said, `OK, I’ll add 20-25,’ and you could see him doing the math. That’s only 102. He was bound and determined to throw eight and 100-plus and he got us there.”

Darvish (2-2) struck out eight with one walk as the Rangers finished their second four-game sweep of Kansas City in as many seasons. Texas has won 10 straight against the Royals, who have lost five of six since a four-game winning streak.

Jason Hammel (0-2) came out after starting the fourth inning with a walk, two hit batters and another walk to force in the tying run.

The second hit batter, Robinson Chirinos, got plunked on the right wrist on a check swing, and the ricochet hit home plate umpire Eric Cooper on the right leg. Both hobbled away from the plate, with Cooper ruling a foul ball. It was quickly overturned by replay.

Jurickson Profar walked for a 2-2 tie, forcing Hammel out of the game. Carlos Gomez then gave Texas the lead with an RBI grounder.

“I’ve just got to trust the stuff, let it work,” Hammel said. “For whatever reason, I shifted into trying to make the perfect pitch and overthrowing and really got myself and us in trouble.”

Matt Bush pitched a perfect ninth for his first save this season and the second of the 31-year-old reliever’s career.

Joey Gallo, the first hit batter in the fourth, connected in the sixth for his team-leading sixth homer, an opposite-field drive to left. Robinson Chirinos homered in the eighth, his fourth long ball in 18 at-bats.

DROUGHT CONTINUES

Kansas City has a majors-low 46 runs after scoring just five in 40 innings in the series, which included a 1-0 loss in 13 innings in the opener. Manager Ned Yost juggled the lineup, moving Alex Gordon out of the leadoff spot for the first time this season with his .176 average and putting Bonifacio third even though he started the game without a big league hit. Yost gave Lorenzo Cain (team-leading .333 average) the day off.

POWER OF ELVIS

Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus, with a surprising three homers already to put him at 38 for his nine seasons, hit cleanup for the first time in his career. He’s now hit in all nine spots in the order. He had an RBI single for the first Texas run in the third. He struck out twice with runners at first and second. “I didn’t do that bad. Got an RBI at least,” Andrus said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez missed his second straight game with neck stiffness. Manager Ned Yost said he was still day-to-day.

Rangers: RHP Sam Dyson, on the 10-day DL with a right hand contusion after losing his job as closer, will pitch an inning each Monday and Tuesday on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock. He can return to the Rangers on Friday.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas (3-0, 0.44 ERA) makes his 200th career start in the opener of a three-game series at the White Sox. He’s 3-0 for the first time since his rookie season in 2005 and has just two walks with 23 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings.

Rangers: LHP Martin Perez (1-2, 3.60 ERA) pitches the opener of a three-game home series against Minnesota. He’s 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA in two home starts, including 5 1/3 scoreless innings in an 8-1 win over Oakland.

— Associated Press —

Northwest Missouri State wins series against UCO with 5-2 victory

Posted on April 23, 2017

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team beat Central Oklahoma, 5-2, on Sunday at Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.

The Bearcats improve to 26-16 overall and 15-14 in MIAA play. The Bronchos are now 23-17-1 overall and 13-16 in conference action.

Northwest takes the series, 2-1, after winning Friday’s game.

Kolby Greenslade drove in three runs, going 2-for-4.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest scored one in the third, three in the fifth and one in the seventh. The Bronchos once in the first and once in the fourth.

– The Bearcats had five runs on eight hits with one error. Central Oklahoma had two runs on 10 hits with no errors.

– Kevin Handzlik was 2-for-4 with a double.

– Ozzie Adams went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk.

– Garrett Fort went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base.

– Landon Figg was hit by a pitch, drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and scored a run.

– Jay Hrdlicka drove in a run, stole a base and drew a walk.

– James Holler went 1-for-4 with a pair of walks and a stolen base.

– Aaron Barratt drew a walk and stole a base.

– Brad Roberts got the start on the mound, going 5.0 innings with a walk and five strikeouts. He allowed just one earned run on five hits. He retired the side in the third.

– Jacob Wagner worked the sixth inning without allowing a hit, striking out one.

– Nikko Pablo worked the final three innings without allowing a run. He gave up five hits with one walk while striking out one.

Key Northwest Innings
– Fort started the third with a single to left. After numerous pickoff attempts, Fort was able to steal second after the catcher tried to throw behind him at first, allowing him to reach second. After a flyout allowed Fort to tag and advance to third, Figg hit a sacrifice fly to deep center to score the Bearcats’ first run.

– Northwest loaded the bases with one down in the fifth as Adams hit an infield single, Figg was hit by a pitch and Holler drew a walk. Hrdlicka grounded into a fielder’s choice allowing Adams to come in to score, tying the game, 2-2. After Hrdlicka stole second, Greenslade came through with a two-RBI single to right to put Northwest up, 4-2.

– Adams led off the seventh with a single to left. After a pair of outs, Hrdlicka drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Greenslade knocked in his third run of the game with an RBI single to right, scoring Adams from second to make it 5-2 Bearcats.

Up Next
Northwest will play the third and final game in its mid-week series with Missouri Western on Wednesday, April 26, at 4 p.m. in St. Joseph, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

Tigers lose series finale Sunday at Ole Miss

Posted on April 23, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Mizzou Baseball dropped the series finale at Ole Miss, 9-6, on a chilly Sunday afternoon (April 23) at Swayze Field. Ole Miss scored three runs in the first, one in the third and five more in the fourth to put the game away. The big hit came from 3B Colby Bortles, a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning. That was part of a six-hit, five-run inning that put the game away. Mizzou made things interesting late, but couldn’t overcome the 9-1 deficit.

Mizzou RHP Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) took the loss, falling to 3-3 on the year while Ole Miss’ Houston Roth earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the year. Mizzou falls to 27-14 and 8-10 in SEC play while Ole Miss goes to 25-15 and 9-9 in league games.

Walks haunted Montes De Oca in the first inning as he issued free passes to the first two batters he faced. Leadoff man Tate Blackman came around to score on a sacrifice fly by CF Ryan Olenek. Ole Miss 1B Nick Fortes then hit a two-out double to score a run and the Rebels tacked on another on a wild pitch to take a 3-0 lead after one.

Mizzou got a tough break in the top of the second inning as Chris Cornelius (St. Louis, Mo.) appeared to put Mizzou on the board with a single into right center. But Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) was gunned down trying to go first-to-third before Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) could cross home plate, costing Mizzou a run. The call was confirmed after a lengthy review by the umpire crew.

Ole Miss tacked on another run thanks to a leadoff error by Alex Samples (Bridgeport, Texas) in the second inning. Glendinning almost made a tremendous play on a grounder up the middle, but the throw skipped into first base and Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) couldn’t pick it, allowing the runner, who reached on the Samples error, to score. That gave Ole Miss a 4-0 lead.

Cornelius tallied another clutch hit in the top of the fourth, roping a two-out double off the wall in right field to score Glendinning, who doubled with one out in the inning. That got Mizzou on the board. But just as quickly as Mizzou got back in the game, Bortles lifted a three-run homer off of Mizzou reliever Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.) to extend the lead to 7-1. Ole Miss tacked on two more runs in the inning to take a 9-1 lead.

Mizzou responded with three runs in the top of the fifth inning, one on a Samples single and two more on Glendinning’s second double of the game. The Tigers looked to get more in the sixth inning as Cornelius roped his second double and third hit of the game to leadoff the frame. Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) then laid down a bunt single to put runners on the corners with no outs. But Misner was caught stealing and the next two batters were retired to end the threat.

The Tigers added two more runs in the top of the eighth on a Cornelius sacrifice fly and another on an error. Pinch hitter Nelson Mompierre (Miami, Fla.) sent a ball deep into right center with a runner on, but it was hauled in near the track to send the game to the ninth with the Rebels on top, 9-6. Mizzou then went 1-2-3 in the ninth to give Ole Miss the series.

Mizzou head to Missouri State Tuesday night for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Leake pitches, hits St. Louis past Milwaukee

Posted on April 23, 2017

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mike Leake overcame some uncharacteristic wildness on the mound and helped himself at the plate.

Leake allowed two runs over six innings and drove in two runs to lead St. Louis to a 6-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, the Cardinals’ sixth win in seven games.

Leake (3-1) gave up three hits and three walks while striking out six. He scored a run in the third inning and his two-run single capped a three-run fourth when St. Louis took a 4-2 lead.

“I thought he pulled it together when he needed to,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “Those lead walks kind of atypical from what we’ve seen, free bases at all, really, with what he’s done and how well he’s controlled the strike zone.”

In his first three starts, Leake had walked just one in 21 1/3 innings. Two of his walks Sunday resulted in runs.

“It was just one of those days, not being able to completely pinpoint where I wanted it,” Leake said. “But, I was able to at least get what I needed done and get a win.”

The Cardinals took advantage of six walks by Jimmy Nelson (1-1) and an error by the Brewers for their first four runs.

Nelson’s lack of command led to the three runs in the fourth. Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk walked to open the inning. Kolton Wong’s one-out double off the glove of center fielder Keon Broxton on the warning track scored Piscotty. Eric Fryer drew a two-out walk and Leake followed with a single to left-center.

“Walks are always frustrating,” said Nelson, who led the N.L. in walks last season with 86 when he struggled to an 8-16 mark. “I went through a stretch there where I lost some (velocity). I haven’t gone back and watched video of it, so it’s still digesting.”

St. Louis made it 6-2 in the eighth on RBI singles by Fryer and pinch-hitter Matt Adams.

Manny Pina opened the ninth inning for Milwaukee with his first homer and Jonathan Villar added an RBI single.

Nelson, who had walked just three in his first three starts, allowed four runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He is now 0-8 in 10 games, including nine starts, against St. Louis.

“He just got in a bad spot to me for that one inning, with the three walks in that one inning,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “That was the inning that really hurt him. I was proud of how he bounced back. He recovered. We were a really nice play from Keon away from really limiting the damage there. But he came back in the fifth and did a really nice job and he got an out in the sixth for us.”

The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the first when Eric Thames reached on a fielder’s choice and scored from first on Ryan Braun’s double down the left-field line.

The Cardinals answered with an unearned run in the third. Leake reached with two outs on a fielding error by third baseman Travis Shaw. Dexter Fowler walked and Aledmys Diaz followed with an RBI single to left.

Milwaukee countered in the bottom half on a walk to Villar, a single by Thames and Shaw’s sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.

St. Louis won despite several base-running mistakes. Piscotty was caught stealing in the second, Wong was picked off second base by catcher Pina, and Diaz was picked off first in the seventh.

“It hurts when we’re giving away outs,” Matheny said. “Two of those were aggressive, one was maybe not being aware of the situation as well he should be. Just continuing to teach, continuing to try and clean it up, because whether it’s errors in the field or errors on the bases, it’s something that right now we can’t do and expect to win on a consistent basis.”

CARDS HOMER STREAK SNAPPED

St. Louis snapped a streak in which they hit a home run in 24 straight games at Miller Park dating back to Sept. 5, 2014. It was the longest streak by any team at Miller Park or its predecessor, County Stadium. Wong’s drive to the warning track in straightaway center was the closest to going out.

BOWMAN UNSCORED UPON

Right-hander Matt Bowman pitched a perfect seventh, extending his scoreless inning streak to 19 2/3 over 20 games dating back to Sept. 6 of last season when he allowed four runs against Pittsburgh. He has pitched 9 2/3 scoreless innings this season in 11 appearances.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Cardinals: CF Fowler and SS Diaz, each held out of the starting lineup on Saturday, returned Sunday. Fowler left Friday’s game with a sore heel, while Diaz had a sore back and shoulder. Diaz hit a pinch-hit tie-breaking solo homer on Saturday, although he did not play in the field.

CARPENTER, MATHENY TOSSED

Cardinals 1B Matt Carpenter and manager Mike Matheny were ejected in the seventh inning by home plate umpire John Tumpane after Carpenter was called out on strikes.

UP NEXT:

Cardinals: After a day off, the Cardinals return home to open a three-game set against Toronto on Tuesday. RHP Michael Wacha (2-1, 2.41) makes his fourth start. He allowed just one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings his last time out.

Brewers: RHP Matt Garza is slated to be activated off the DL (right groin strain) and make his first start of the season to open the three-game series at home on Monday against the Reds. Garza is 4-5 with a 4.84 ERA in 14 career starts vs. Cincinnati, including 0-2 last season.

— Associated Press —

Griffons defeat Nebraska-Kearney for eighth straight win

Posted on April 22, 2017

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Missouri Western baseball team won its eighth consecutive game Saturday with an 8-2 victory at Nebraska-Kearney. The Griffons improve to 24-17 and 21-10 in the MIAA.

NOTABLES
– Nick Gawley had three doubles in the win, which tied a MWSU single game record

– Dusty Stroup hit his sixth home run of the season, Alex Heuring connected for his fifth home run and Levi Schreiner blasted his second home run all in the win

– Missouri Western’s three home runs are the most since March 12 and second most in a game this season

– Richard Peoples threw his fifth consecutive start of at least eight 1/3 innings and 10th straight start of seven innings or more

– The Griffons scored five of its eight runs with two outs

– The first four batters in the lineup accounted for seven MWSU runs with the #2 batter Nick Gawley and #3 batter David Glaude combining for five of those seven runs

TOP PERFORMERS
– Nick Gawley was 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored, three doubles and two stolen bases

– Levi Schreiner went 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run and three RBIs

– Jeremy Alvarado drove in two RBIs and was 2-for-4 from the plate

– Peoples threw 8 1/3 innings and gave up two earned runs with three strikeouts

UP NEXT
Missouri Western goes for its second straight series sweep Sunday as they play their final game at Nebraska-Kearney at 12 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

Kansas City loses on another walk-off at Texas

Posted on April 22, 2017April 22, 2017

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Elvis Andrus hit an RBI single with one out in the ninth inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on Saturday night.

It was the second time in three games that the Rangers won in their final at-bat against Kansas City.

Rougned Odor led off the ninth with a sharp single off Travis Wood (0-2), who didn’t face another batter before Peter Moylan took over. After Odor stole second base, Andrus hit a sharp single to left field.

Matt Bush (1-0) threw a scoreless ninth with a strikeout.

Mike Napoli homered for the Rangers, who have won three straight games for the first time this season. They go for a four-game sweep on Sunday.

Wood was also the loser in the series opener Thursday night when the Rangers won 1-0 in 13 innings. Up until then, Wood had made 105 consecutive appearances without a loss and was tied with Moylan for the longest active streak in the majors. Moylan is now at 107 consecutive appearances without being charged with a loss.

Both starting pitchers, Ian Kennedy for Kansas City and Nick Martinez for the Rangers, allowed one run on four hits over seven innings.

Martinez was called up from Triple-A Round Rock for a spot start after A.J. Griffin was put on the 10-day disabled list because of gout in his left ankle. Martinez matched his longest appearance in 51 major league starts, and took a no-hitter into the sixth.

Kansas City’s first hit was on No. 9 hitter Drew Butera’s single through the left side of the infield with one out in the sixth. The ball ricocheted off the glove of diving third baseman Joey Gallo and then a diving Andrus at shortstop. That was the first of three singles in a four-batter stretch, including Mike Moustakas driving home Butera .

Napoli led off the second with his third homer of the season, an opposite-field shot that barely cleared the wall in the right-field corner.

Andrus had a defensive gem in the fifth inning. He went way to his right to backhand a grounder, then made the throw with his body falling away from first base to get Whit Merrifield by a step.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez was scratched from the starting lineup because of neck stiffness. … OF Jorge Soler (strained left oblique) hit a three-run homer in the first game of his injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday. Manager Ned Yost said there is no timetable for Soler’s return.

Rangers: RHP Sam Dyson (bruised right hand) threw live batting practice and is expected to make a couple of rehab appearances in the minors next week. “His slider was sharper, his sinker was late,” pitching coach Doug Brocail said. Dyson lost his closer role with three blown saves and a 27.00 ERA this season. “I’ve really allowed the last few weeks to overwhelm me in the sense of sitting trying to overanalyze everything,” he said.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel (0-1), who pitched in the NL for the Chicago Cubs the last 2 1/2 seasons, is winless in his last 16 road starts against AL teams. His last road win against the AL was May 5, 2013, when pitching for the Orioles at the Angels. He got a no-decision April 6 at Minnesota in his only road start since joining Kansas City as a free agent last winter.

Rangers: RHP Yu Darvish (1-2) is 1/3 with a 5.93 ERA in his last five home starts.

— Associated Press —

Bearcats lose at home to Central Oklahoma 10-0

Posted on April 22, 2017

The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team fell to Central Oklahoma, 10-0, on Saturday at Bearcat Field in Maryville, Mo.

The Bearcats fall to 25-16 overall and 14-14 in MIAA play. The Bronchos are now 23-16-1 overall and 13-15 in conference action.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Central Oklahoma scored three in the fifth, three in the sixth and four in the seventh.

– The Bearcats had two hits and three errors. UCO had 10 runs with nine hits and no errors.

– Landon Figg went 1-for-3.

– Ozzie Adams was 1-for-3.

– James Holler reached on a walk.

-Joseph Hietpas started and went 5.1 innings allowing three earned runs on three hits. He struck out five and walked four.

Key Northwest Innings
– Hietpas set the Bronchos down in order in the second and fourth innings.

Up Next
– Game third and final between the Bronchos and the Bearcats will start at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

— Northwest Athletics —

Griffon softball splits with Emporia State on senior day

Posted on April 22, 2017

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western softball team needed at least one, and they got it on Saturday as the Griffons outstanding senior class ended its final regular season with a victory over Emporia State.

The doubleheader split, in all likelihood, clinched the Griffons’ spot in the MIAA Tournament. The seeding will not be released until April 24 after all games have been played. Missouri Western dropped game one, 6-2 after allowing six unanswered Hornet runs. The Griffs hit three home runs in 6-3 game two win. Morgan Rathmann tied the MIAA record with her 31st career triple in game two and broke her own MWSU record with the 10th of her senior season.

SENIORS CONTRIBUTE
Five of the six members of the 2017 senior class combined for six of Missouri Western’s eight hits on the day. They combined for five extra base hits and drove in four of the team’s eight runs. Rathmann led the way, going 3-for-6 in her final home doubleheader. Megan Korgie continued her clutch stretch, driving in the Griffons’ first runs of both games.

HOME RUN POWER CONTINUES
Three different Griffons homered in the series, including senior Katie Klosterman and Kailey Green. It gave the team 18 home runs over its last 14 games. Klosterman hit four of those with Sydney Washington and Green each hitting three.

RATHMANN BREAKS ANOTHER
The senior outfielder broke her third record of the season when she led off the third with her 10th triple of the season. Rathmann has 28 triples in her last three seasons and the 31 she has in her career tried an MIAA record.

THE WAITING GAME
While Missouri Western is essentially secured a spot in the MIAA Tournament, weather will hold off the announcement of the bracket and seeding until Monday. The Griffons ended the weekend tied for fourth in the standings with Northwest Missouri State. All three teams ahead of the Griffons have four games left to play leaving the door open for MWSU to finish as high as second.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western will next play April 27 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City against an opponent to be announced.

— MWSU Athletics —

Missouri drops middle game at Ole Miss

Posted on April 22, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Mizzou Baseball dropped the middle game of a three-game series at Ole Miss, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon (April 22) at Swayze Field. Mizzou junior RHP Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) was very good again on Saturday, tossing 8.0 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. But Ole Miss’ pitching staff limited Mizzou to just three hits on Saturday as a solo homer from junior RF Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) supplied all the scoring for Mizzou. Harris is now third in the SEC with his 12 homers, the most by a Mizzou player since Aaron Senne hit 22 in 2010.

Mizzou falls to 27-13 on the year and 8-9 in SEC play while Ole Miss moves to 24-15 and 8-9 in SEC play. The rubber game of the pivotal three-game series will be played Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Houck took the loss, falling to 3-6 on the year, while Ryan Rolison earned the win, going 6.0 innings and allowing just one hit with nine strikeouts. He did walk five but moved to 5-2 on the year. Dallas Woolfolk earned his eighth save, but Mizzou made it interesting, bringing the winning run to the plate twice.

After Mizzou stranded a pair in the first, Houck struggled with his command in the first, issuing a walk and hitting two batters. An RBI groundout to first scored a run as Ole Miss gained a 1-0 lead after the first. Freshman SS Chris Cornelius (St. Louis, Mo.) made a great play on what looked to be a two-run single up the middle to end the frame.

Houck settled in from there, tallying a pair of strikeouts in the second during a 1-2-3 frame. He then threw up another zero as Ole Miss went three-up, three-down in the third. Ole Miss’ Ryan Olenek led off the fourth inning with a double, but Houck pitched around that as he continued to look sharp.

Cornelius tallied Mizzou’s first hit with a single through the left side with one out in the top of the fifth, but Mizzou didn’t score. Ole Miss then put together a two-out rally in its half of the fifth inning. Will Golsan tallied a two-out single after a Tate Blackman walk and Blackman took third while Golsan moved to second on the throw. With two runners in scoring position, 3B Colby Bortles came up and hit a bouncing ball up the middle for a two-run single to extend the Ole Miss lead to 3-0.

Junior C Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) drew a two-out walk in the sixth, but Ole Miss’ pitching staff retired the next seven Mizzou batters, taking a 3-0 lead into the ninth inning. Woolfolk took over from there and Harris launched his team-leading 12th homer of the year to get Mizzou on the board with no outs in the ninth. Bond then hit a double off the wall in right and Nelson Mompierre (Miami, Fla.) drew a walk to bring the winning run to the plate. But Woolfolk got the last two men to cap off his eighth save.

— Mizzou Athletics —