In their first game playing in the United States, the Missouri Tigers baseball team suffered a tough loss to the UCF Knights, falling 7-1 on Thursday night in Orlando, Florida.
The Tigers (1-3) started the game with momentum after sophomores Mateo Serna and Kaden Peer led off with back-to-back one-out singles. However, the Tigers followed with two straight outs, ending their scoring chances and sending the Knights to the plate for the first time.
Right away, UCF (4-0) came out fighting. A leadoff single and a walk put runners on base immediately for starter Wil Libbert, who managed to get two outs before a double down the left field line scored both runners and gave the Knights a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game. They added two more in the third on a two-run homer off the right field foul pole, extending their lead to 4-0.
The game was blown open in the fifth. After a 1-2-3 inning for the Tigers in the top half, they brought in freshman pitcher Josh Kirchhoff for his second inning of work, which proved to be a mistake. After loading the bases with two hits and a walk, all with no outs, an RBI single to center scored two runs, followed by a sac fly to right that brought in another, giving UCF a 7-0 lead.
The Tigers got their first run of the game in the sixth when Peer sent his third hit of the game over the right field fence for a home run, his first of the season. He continues to be a bright spot in the Tigers' lineup, collecting three of the team's four total hits in the game and raising his season average to .429.
After the fifth inning, the Tigers held the Knights scoreless on just two hits, but they were unable to mount any kind of comeback, ultimately losing 7-1. This marks the second time the Tigers have been held to one run or less, combining for just six hits between the two games.
Junior Nic Smith continues to look strong out of the bullpen to start the season, making his second appearance and pitching a scoreless inning. Sophomore Ben Smith also seems to be head coach Kerrick Jackson’s go-to option out of the pen, as he made his third appearance of the season, pitching a scoreless inning and keeping his ERA at zero over his first three innings this year.
The Tigers will head about an hour and a half south for their next three games, playing in the Andre Dawson Classic at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida. They’ll kick it off on Friday at 7 p.m. against the Florida A&M Rattlers.