Missouri breaks five game conference losing streak in 8-3 victory over South Carolina
| May 05, 2024 | Sports,
The quest for Kerrick Jackson’s squad to earn the last remaining spot in the SEC tournament took one step forward.
Missouri Missouri (20-27, 6-16 SEC) baseball snapped its five-game losing streak in SEC play, defeating No. 14 ranked South Carolina (30-15, 11-11 SEC) 7-0 at Taylor Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Alumni honoring was afoot in the build up to the game, with former 32-year Missouri basketball coach Norm Stewart being one of the honorees. Stewart was previously on the 1954 Tigers squad that won the NCAA National Championship.
“When you have a coach that had the tenure he had and has the respect in industry and on this campus and in this community he has, being able to attempt to emulate what he did over that time is always the ultimate goal,” Missouri head coach Kerrick Jackson said. “He did it for a long period of time and set a standard and precedent of what Mizzou athletics is supposed to be about and so we all carry that on.”
The bats came alive early for the Tigers, putting up a four spot in the top of the first, then three more combined runs in the third and fourth innings.
Trevor Austin went two for three with two singles and Mateo Serna continued his recent resurgence at the plate, knocking in an RBI.
Pitching for the Tigers took an early bump in the beginning of the game, with starter Javyn Pimental leaving the game after being injured thirteen pitches into his outing. Carter Rustad took the reins and gave the Tigers a quality appearance on the bump.
Rustad pitched 6.2 innings, striking out six Gamecocks, surrendering three hits and throwing 75 total pitches. An improvement was shown after his last outing against Tennessee, where he gave up two earned runs and six hits.
“[Coming in to replace Pimental] was surprising,” Rustad said. ‘I had time in the bullpen and get my mind right, my heart was racing a little bit in the first inning, but I think after the first,I felt settled in, just treated it like any other start or coming out of the bullpen.”
The bid for the last remaining spot to get into the SEC tournament, saw a two game stay pat, after LSU and Ole Miss both winning their games, giving the Tigers a larger push to take two of three games in the series on Sunday against the Gamecocks.