Mizzou Sports Email

Official Sports Report for February 23, 2008

Tigers Start With 7-1 Win Over UConn
by OSR Staff
DeLand, FL. - The 6th-ranked Missouri Tiger baseball team represented its lofty ranking in solid fashion Friday afternoon as it opened the 2008 season with a 7-1 win over Connecticut.

The Tigers fell behind 1-0 in the top of the third inning, as the Huskies got a two-out single after a potential inning-ending double play couldn't be turned, leaving runners on the corners.  But ace righty Aaron Crow, a 2008 pre-season All-American ended the threat, and the Tigers responded in the bottom half of the inning with three runs to take a 3-1 lead.

Mizzou's rally started as 2B Greg Folgia reached on an error and 3B Kyle Mach was hit by pitch for the first of two times in all on the day.  SS Lee Fischer bunted the runners over, and senior CF Kurt Calvert got MU's first hit of the season, on a base hit to left field, to tie the game at one as Mach was held at third.  Calvert, who ended the day 3-of-4 with 3 runs batted in, stole second in front of LF Aaron Senne's single to center which plated two for a 3-1 lead.

The Tigers pushed the lead to 6-1 in the fourth, as it loaded the bases with no outs on singles by RF Ryan Lollis and 1B Steve Gray followed by a one-out walk by Folgia.  Single runs scored on the next three plate appearances as Mach and Fischer got RBIs as they were plunked by pitches, and Calvert made it 6-1 on a sacrifice fly.

The Tigers' final run scored in the eighth when Calvert doubled home Fischer for his third hit of the game.

Crow got credit for the win, as he threw five complete innings, striking out seven Huskies while allowing just one run on five hits.  Crow was followed out of the bullpen by Ian Berger, who pitched a pair of scoreless innings before Tyler Clark and Scooter Hicks closed things out.  Hickes relieved Clark with one out and a runner on in the top of the ninth, and quickly induced a game ending 6-4-3 double play ground ball. 

Head Coach Tim Jamieson was pleased with the solid, if not spectacular day by his Tigers.  "It's a good win," Jamieson said.  "I think we played well enough to win, first games are always tough, when you come out of the gym like us.  There's always a lot of nervous people too.  UConn pitched us well and they were aggressive with the bats, but we adjusted and were patient," he added.

Jamieson said that Crow was good, but can be even better.  "I thought he was good, he pitched out of a couple of tough situations early, he makes a great pick off move in the first and that helped," he said.  "It was a good first outing for him but he'll be better next time," he said.

Crow got out of a jam to start the game, as UConn had runners on first and third with no outs on an infield single and an error by Mach at third.  But the righty pitcher snuffed out an attempted double steal by the Huskies, when he picked off Harold Brantley between third and home for the first out.  Crow then proceeded to strike out the next two batters to end the threat.

Offensively, Mizzou didn't bash the ball Friday, but it took advantage of what UConn gave it, adding four walks and four hit batters to its own eight hits.

"I feel good that we scored seven runs against a quality team like UConn without any real production out of the middle of the lineup," he said, noting that MU's number three and four hitters, C Trevor Coleman and DH Jacob Priday, were a combined 0-of-7.

Up next for the Tigers is a noon Saturday contest at the same field against Michigan State.  Lefty Rick Zagone is the scheduled starter for Mizzou.