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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Ross Lovich hit for the cycle to lead a balanced Missouri offense that featured six players logging multi-hit performances, as the Tigers opened their final Southeastern Conference home series of the season with a 13-3 victory over Georgia Friday evening at Taylor Stadium.
Lovich’s cycle was part of a career-best, four-hit night and sparked a Tiger offense that clubbed four home runs and tallied at least two runs in five of the game’s seven innings.
The junior outfielder doubled to lead off the game, setting up Luke Mann’s two-run homer that staked the home club to an early 2-0 lead. Lovich added an RBI triple as part of Mizzou’s biggest inning—a four-run second that saw the lead balloon to six runs. He singled his next time at bat, giving him three hits in the game’s first three innings.
Lovich, who finished his night 4-for-5 with two RBI’s and three runs scored, capped his historic night with a solo shot to left to ignite what would become the game-clinching, two-run rally in the seventh.
Mann enjoyed a banner night as well, cracking his 46th and 47th career home runs in his first two at-bats of the game, moving to within two long balls of Jacob Priday’s all-time Mizzou home run record of 49 with five regular-season games left on the schedule.
After Lovich’s one-out triple plated Cam Chick for the Tigers’ third run in the second, Trevor Austin’s sac fly to right plated another run.
The early fireworks were far from over, as Mann hit a towering solo blast to left-center, and Hank Zeisler followed with his 15th home run of the season to stretch the Mizzou lead to 6-0.
With its offense clicking, Mizzou (28-20, 8-17 SEC) received a strong effort on the mound as well. Starting pitcher Chandler Murphy kept the Bulldogs at bay, working three straight scoreless frames in which he faced just two batters over the minimum to open the game.
A leadoff homer off the bat of Connor Tate finally put UGA (28-22, 10-15 SEC) on the board in the fourth. Murphy’s cause was helped by a pair of standout catches by Ty Wilmsmeyer that robbed Bulldog hitters of potential extra bases and a possible big inning.
Wilmsmeyer contributed at the plate as well, delivering a two-out, infield single that plated the second of Mizzou’s two fourth-inning runs.
Georgia threatened to cut into the Tiger lead in the sixth after three consecutive hits to open the inning gave the Bulldogs new life. Tate drove in his second run with a base hit, before singles by Parks Harber and Cole Wagner produced another run to slice the MU lead to 8-3.
But Austin Troesser calmly worked the Tigers out of harm’s way, inducing the third inning-ending double-play grounder of the night by a Georgia hitter to preserve the cushion.
Wilmsmeyer came through with another clutch two-out hit in the home half of the sixth—this time lifting a three-run homer over the wall to turn a five-run lead into an 11-3 advantage.
Lovich’s third home run of the season started the decisive Mizzou seventh—and finished the cycle for the Overland Park, Kan., native. Tre Morris put the finishing touches on the run-rule victory—the Tigers’ second in its last three SEC games—lining a run-scoring single to center to bring in Austin with the game-clinching run.
Wilmsmeyer totaled a career-best four RBIs, while Mann added a 2-for-4, three-RBI performance to the Tiger attack. Austin (2-for-4), Zeisler (2-for-3) and Morris (2-for-4) each added two-hit nights as part of a 15-hit onslaught by Mizzou.
Murphy (4-4) picked up his first victory since a March 17 win over Tennessee in the Tigers’ SEC opener, allowing two earned runs on four hits while fanning four in 5.0 innings.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- Mizzou improved to 12-15 all-time versus Georgia and 3-9 against the Bulldogs at home
- The Tigers also improved to 17-7 at home this spring
- The Tiger defense turned three double-plays for the first time since a home meeting against Florida on May 14, 2022
- Mann sits two home runs shy of Jacob Priday’s all-time Mizzou record of 49 career long balls
- Mann also recorded a home run for the fifth consecutive game, becoming the first Tiger to accomplish the feat since Griffin Moore homered in seven straight contests, March 22-29, 1997
- Mann established a new career high for home runs in a season with his 18th and 19th round-trippers, which also represents the most by a Tiger hitter during the BBCOR era (2011-present)
- MU’s 13 runs gives it a total of 51 in its last four contests (since May 2)
- Zeisler extended his consecutive games reaching safely streak to 17 straight, dating back to April 11
- Mizzou’s four home runs hiked its season team home run total to 69, moving to within three of the No. 6 spot on the program’s single-season list
- The Tigers’ season total of 69 homers is the most by a Mizzou team since 1998, when the Tigers hit a school-record 110 home runs
- Friday’s announced attendance of 1,383 marked the Tigers’ 18th crowd of at least 1,000 fans in 21 home dates this season, as well as their 15th in a row dating back to March 15
- The crowd also pushed Mizzou’s single-season home attendance record, which was broken this past weekend vs. Ole Miss, to 33,840 with two home dates remaining
UP NEXT
Mizzou continues its final home stand of the 2023 with a 2 p.m., Senior Day contest Saturday (May 13) at Taylor Stadium, before concluding its series with Georgia at noon on Sunday (May 14). Single-game tickets for each of the Tigers’ final two home games can be purchased by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS, or by visiting MUTigers.com/feature/BSBTix.
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