Heading into the ninth inning down three, the Missouri Tigers (14-35, 1-24) erupted for six runs in the top half to earn a 9-6 win over Texas A&M on Friday — their first SEC victory and just their second road win of the season.
A leadoff homer in the first by Texas A&M’s Jace LaViolette off Mizzou starter Brady Kehlenbrink got the scoring started early and gave the Aggies an immediate lead.
That wasn’t the only action in the first inning. On a popup to short, left fielder Brock Daniels collided with Jackson Lovich while attempting a catch and was forced to leave the game. The Tigers adjusted their defense in the bottom of the second, bringing Jedier Hernandez into the game.
Hernandez was thrown into the fire right away in the top of the second, stepping in with two outs and runners on the corners after back-to-back hits by Chris Patterson and Keegan Knutson. On the first pitch he’d seen in nearly two weeks, he delivered an RBI single through the left side, tying the game at 1-1.
The fireworks continued in the third — but only for the Aggies, who tacked on five runs behind three home runs.
Back-to-back home runs opened the inning, and after a walk and a one-out hit-by-pitch, the Aggies launched a three-run shot to extend their lead to 6-1 and end Brady Kehlenbrink’s outing.
According to the broadcast, LaViolette’s second home run of the game moved him into the top five in SEC history, tying Mississippi State legend Rafael Palmeiro with 67 career homers.
Brady Kehlenbrink’s final line: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 67-36 (Pitches-Strikes)
After Kehlenbrink’s early exit, the Tigers’ bullpen stepped up, combining for 5.2 innings of scoreless relief. It began with Kaden Jacobi, who entered with one out in the third and set the tone for the rest of the staff.
After walking the first two batters he faced, Jacobi bounced back to end the inning with a strikeout of LaViolette, who was batting for the second time that frame. He carried that momentum through the next two innings, finishing with 2.2 scoreless frames of one-hit ball before exiting after the fifth.
The Tigers closed out the game with a dominant effort from their bullpen. Brock Lucas and Xavier Lovett followed Jacobi, combining for four innings of one-hit relief to keep the Aggies quiet and help secure the win.
The Tigers began their comeback in the fifth when a leadoff single by Hernandez set the stage for Jackson Lovich, who launched a one-out, two-run shot to dead center, cutting the deficit to 6-3. The homer marked Lovich’s 10th of the season, making him the first and only Tiger to reach double digits this year.
The Tigers stayed quiet over the next three innings until the top of the ninth, when they mounted a comeback to tie the game. With the bases loaded, Lovich punched a single to shortstop to bring in the first run of the inning. Moments later, Kaden Peer followed with a double, evening the score at 6-6.
After a walk and a strikeout to start the inning, the bases were loaded once again. Chris Patterson then hit a grounder to short, and the throw home to get the lead runner sailed past the catcher, allowing two runs to score. Moments later, Patterson came home on a wild pitch, giving the Tigers a 9-6 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Lovett returned for his second inning of work and made quick work of the Aggies in the bottom of the ninth, retiring the side in order to seal Missouri’s first conference win of the season. The 9-6 victory was capped by a stellar defensive play in right field by Tyler Macon for the final out.
Coming off the bench, Hernandez delivered his best performance of the season at the plate. In addition to his RBI single, he collected two more hits and finished 3-for-4, highlighted by a 13-pitch battle against the Aggies’ starter in his final at-bat. It marked the first time all season Hernandez recorded multiple hits in a game.