By Emma Moloney

The Missouri Tigers took on both the Arkansas State Red Wolves and Mother Nature on Tuesday afternoon, looking to maintain their undefeated performance at Taylor Stadium in the first of a two-game series.

Both teams utilized four pitchers throughout the day. Red Wolves starter Zech Jarrard took the loss and Tiger freshman Luke Mann earned the win. Mann pitched 3 innings, recording only three hits, one earned run and four strikeouts. He was followed on the mound by a stellar performance from Jordan Gubelman, who tallied six strikeouts in his perfect three innings. Both Seth Halvorsen and Tommy Springer came in later in the game for the Tigers, and they held the Red Wolves to a single run. None of Arkansas State’s four pitchers could halt the explosive Missouri offense.

Starting in the third inning the Tigers were seemingly unstoppable, putting runs on the board every at-bat until the game concluded with a score of 16-1, matching the season-high they set just two days before.

Key players in this game included shortstop Chris Cornelius, who went 2-4 with an RBI, as well as second baseman Mark Vierling, who went 2-3 with a homer. Arguably the best performance of the day came from freshman left fielder Josh Holt Jr., whose breakout day at the stadium included a career-high three-for-four appearance at the plate in which he recorded two runs, an RBI and a stolen base, as well as multiple exceptional catches in the field.

Additionally, with a two-run homer in the fourth, outfielder Kameron Misner has successfully reached base in 17 consecutive games. An RBI single in the third allowed Chad McDaniel to extend his team-leading hitting streak to 11 games.

The Missouri Tigers hope to keep their undefeated record at Taylor Stadium alive and dominate once more against the Arkansas State Red Wolves in Wednesday’s 4:00 PM game.

Edited by Garrett Jones | gcjh23@mail.missouri.edu