Missouri Tigers’ Bats Remain Quiet With Three Losses To Texas A&M
By: Chase Lutz
The Missouri Tigers fell to the Texas A&M Aggies 7-2, their third loss of the weekend, after a 45-minute rain delay between the 7th and 8th innings.
The Tigers sent RHP Bryce Montes De Oca to the mound to start the game where he recorded nine strikeouts and only allowing one earned run. The Aggies gave the nod to Stephen Kolek who pitched a perfect game until a Texas A&M catcher interference allowed Kameron Misner to advance to first. Kolek recorder nine strikeouts and only one hit.
Missouri baseball managed to keep the score within one until the top of the 9th when Texas A&M went on a six-run spree, started by a 2RBI triple to right field by Aggie left-fielder Walker Pennington. The deep ball sailed over the glove of Missouri right-fielder Trey Harris, allowing Blake Kopetsky and George Janca to score.
Pennington would later score off a single by Nick Choruby. The Tigers poor luck continued with a double by Logan Foster to bring Choruby home. After a Tiger pitching change, Braden Shewmake sent a deep ball to right field and over the wall allowing Foster to score.
The Tigers used three pitchers in the Aggies scoring spree. TJ Sikkema took the mound for the Tigers at the start of the 8th inning after a 45-minute rain delay. Sikkema recorded three quick outs in the 8th and the first out of the 9th before being replaced by Nolan Gromacki. After giving up a double, Ty Shoaff was called to the mound. After giving up the Shewmake homerun, Shoaff retired the inning, striking out Kopetsky.
The Tigers continued to struggle on offense, only recording 4 hits and being struck out 13 times. The Tiger offense showed signs of life in the bottom of the 9th when second basemen Robbie Glendinning hit a 2-run homer, allowing Trey Harris to score the unearned run.
The loss marks the third of the series, completing the Aggies sweep over the Tigers. The series is just the second the Tigers have failed to record a win. The Tigers have only swept Alabama this year and have recorded only 8 conference wins this year.
The Tigers have a busy SEC schedule remaining, facing the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville next weekend. They will return home to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks to fight for crucial conference wins late in the season.