Mizzou baseball earned a much-needed win on the final day of the Andre Dawson Classic, thanks to a fantastic start from Kadden Drew. He led the Tigers to a 15-3 victory over Southern University in eight innings.
Kicking off the game with a 1-2-3 inning in the first, Drew dominated the Jaguars for six straight innings, not allowing a runner to reach scoring position until the fourth. He eventually left the game after six innings, giving up just five hits, walking one, and striking out three.
After Drew was taken out with his pitch count nearing 75, grad transfer James Vaughn came in and continued the dominance, tossing a perfect inning with two strikeouts. Sophomore Ben Smith was called in to finish the game, and after giving up a three-run shot, he closed it out in the bottom of the eighth.
Meanwhile, the Tigers' offense was clicking, making up for what was lacking in yesterday's game. They got on the board immediately in the first inning after a sac fly from Gehrig Goldbeck scored Mateo Serna from third. They added another run in the fourth, when a double and two errors led to an inside-the-park homer for Jackson Lovich.
The offense was a bit sporadic at the beginning, but things really opened up in the sixth. With Cayden Nicoletto and Jadier Hernandez standing on second and third after a balk, Brock Daniels hit a sac fly to right, scoring Nicoletto. Trey Lawrence followed with a single, advancing Hernandez to third. With runners at the corners, Cameron Benson singled up the middle, driving in one more and pushing the Tigers' lead to 4-0.
One more run crossed in the seventh after an RBI double from Nicoletto, and then the game truly got out of reach for the Jags in the eighth. The Tigers batted around in the inning, scoring 10 runs on seven hits. It started with a triple from Daniels, followed by a walk and an RBI groundout from Aden Malpass in his first college at-bat.
Serna followed up with an RBI double, and then Brady Picarelli, in just his second career at-bat, smoked a two-run bomb to right field, extending the lead to 9-0 with only one out. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Trey Callaway, who, in his first collegiate at-bat, smacked a double down the left field line, driving in three more runs.
This is when the lineup turned over, and in his second at-bat of the inning, Daniels hit a ball up the middle that deflected off the pitcher for a single, bringing in another run. The Jags finally got the second out of the inning, but a walk and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases once more. Picarelli came through again, this time with a two-RBI double, extending the lead to 15-0.
After the Jaguars hit the home run off Smith, he was able to shut them down in the bottom of the eighth, securing a 15-3 win for the Tigers. Had he not given up the homer, it would have been Mizzou’s first shutout since 2023.
Another strong takeaway from the pitching performance was their K/BB ratio. As a staff over the eight innings, they walked just one batter while striking out seven, showcasing the control that has been a consistent strength for the staff this season.
Drew (1-0) earned the win in the game, while Southern’s Nick Luckett (1-1) took the loss.
The Tigers can only hope to replicate this kind of performance on Tuesday in their home opener against Lindenwood. The game is set to start at 4 p.m. at Taylor Stadium.