After a tough loss in game one, Mizzou Tigers baseball (8-13, 0-5) remains winless, as what started as a back-and-forth game turned into a home run derby for No. 18 Ole Miss, with the Tigers falling 17-10. As a team, Ole Miss hit six home runs.
The game started right away, with the teams trading three-run first innings—a three-run bomb for the Rebels and a three-run triple from Jackson Lovich. A scoreless second inning by both pitchers was followed by more runs, as the Rebels added three more on the board, thanks to two more home runs.
The Tigers answered with a four-run bottom half of the third, starting with an RBI single from Cayden Nicoletto. They capped off the scoring with a three-run shot off the bat of Brock Daniels, putting the Tigers up 7-6 heading into the fourth.
Following this, Mizzou managed only one base hit in the next three innings, while the Rebels continued to pile on the runs. By the time the next run came around for the Tigers, right-handers Brock Lucas and Xavier Lovett had combined to give up eight runs on six hits over three innings, putting the Rebels up 14-7 as the game entered the seventh.
To prevent further damage from Ole Miss, head coach Kerrick Jackson turned to redshirt junior Seth McCartney. McCartney started strong, throwing two innings and allowing just one hit. However, he was taken out in the top of the ninth after loading the bases with no outs.
Meanwhile, the offense managed to get something going after a leadoff double from Nicoletto. This led to an RBI single from Lovich and a two-RBI triple from Daniels, cutting the Tigers' deficit to four.
But that was all the magic they were able to capture, as they lost 17-10 and remain winless in conference play through the first five games.
This game was an offensive explosion for each Tiger in the lineup, with the best performances coming from Nicoletto, who finished with a team-leading three hits, and Lovich and Daniels, who each drove in four RBI. Outside of those three, the rest of the team went just 4-for-23, finishing with two walks and 13 strikeouts as a team.
The Tigers have one more game in the series to secure a win, with first pitch set for 4 p.m. in Columbia.