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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – University of Missouri baseball extended its series win streak against in-state rival Missouri State thanks to a pair of early two-run rallies and a strong effort from its pitching staff that paved the way to a 6-2 victory over the Bears Tuesday evening at Hammons Field.
Jackson Lovich led the Missouri offense with a 3-for-5 performance that included a key RBI single as part of the Tigers’ two-run first inning, as well as a seventh-inning home run that helped seal the win. Additionally, six Mizzou pitchers combined to limit the Bears to two runs, led by Daniel Wissler’s strong 4 1/3 inning stint to open the contest.
The Tigers (17-21) built a 5-0 lead after scoring twice in the first and two more times in the second on Mateo Serna’s two-out, two-run homer, then turned to its pitching staff to close out their third consecutive victory over the Bears (15-20).
Mizzou set the tone for the night early, as three of the Tigers’ first four hitters recorded hits to kick off the two-run first. Brock Daniels led off the contest with a base hit to left, before moving all the way to third on an errant pickoff attempt. Kaden Peer put MU on the board with a single to center, then moved into scoring position with a steal of second. With one out, Lovich drove a run-scoring single to left, bringing in Peer for a 2-0 Mizzou lead.
The Tigers struck again the following frame, this time engineering a two-out rally after a Drew Culbertson single kept the inning going. Next, Serna belted the first pitch he saw from MSU starter Eric Loomis to double the Tigers advantage.
Wissler made the early four-run cushion stand, working around a pair of first-inning baserunners with an inning-ending strikeout of Nick Rodriguez. The sophomore also avoided trouble in the third by recording a punchout of cleanup man Curry Sutherland with a runner aboard to thwart a Bears threat.
The Tigers added to their lead in the fourth after Danny Corona was hit by a pitch to start the inning. After moving into scoring position on a wild pitch, Corona trotted home after Culbertson delivered his second hit of the night, making it a five-run game.
Wissler posted another scoreless inning in the fourth, before yielding to Jacob Peaden with a runner on and one out in the fifth. After Zack Stewart’s sacrifice fly to center brought in the first MSU run, Peaden dispatched Sutherland once more on a strikeout to halt the rally.
The Bears loaded the bases without the benefit of a hit in the sixth, but Victor Quinn came up with a critical strikeout of Dylan Leach to end the threat.
After Lovich extended the lead back to five runs with his seventh home run of the season with two out in the top of the seventh, Brock Lucas followed Quinn’s effort with a 1-2-3 inning in the home half. In the eighth, Charlie Miller and Ian Lohse teamed up to limit MSU to one run — a Rodriguez homer to lead off the inning. A walk, a hit batsman and an Izzy Lopez single loaded the bases with one out, but Lohse got Leach to bounce into a rally-killing 5-3 double play to avoid further damage.
Lohse put the finishing touches on the victory and his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- With the win, Mizzou improved to 33-31 all-time vs. Missouri State.
- Lohse earned his sixth career save, but his first since May 14, 2022 vs. Florida.
- Lovich registered his 10th multi-hit game of the season and his second three-hit effort of 2024.
- Culbertson extended his hit streak to a career-best six-straight games, over which he has hit .391 (9-for-23) since April 7.
- Culbertson also notched his seventh multi-hit effort as a Tiger — and his third in a row.
- Daniels also stretched his career-best hit streak to six games (since April 7), over which he has batted .385 (10-for-26).
- Peaden earned his third victory as a Tiger and the eighth of his collegiate career.
- The Tigers concluded their four-game road trip to Georgia and Missouri State with a 2-2 record.
- Mizzou is now 7-3 in the month of April, already surpassing its previous season-best win total in a month.
UP NEXT
Mizzou returns to Taylor Stadium this weekend for a three-game Southeastern Conference set against defending national champion LSU. First pitch for the series opener is slated for 7 p.m. (CDT) Friday (April 19).
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