Missouri puts up 18 against WIU
With a three-game series against newly anointed No. 1 Texas looming over the weekend in Austin, Missouri knocked off Western Illinois 18-4 Tuesday thanks to a team-wide hitting display.
Missouri hitters banged out 17 hits, took 12 walks and were hit by three pitches in an impressive offensive showing that was exacerbated by four errors and eight wild pitches by Western Illinois. Ryan Gebhart, Greg Folgia, Trevor Coleman, Aaron Senne, Conner Mach and Steve Gray all logged two hits in the game while Folgia, Coleman and T.J. Schieber drew two walks apiece. Coleman, Mach and Andrew Thigpen each drove in two runs while Gray added three RBI of his own. “This was the best we’ve swung the bats all year, and that’s a big lift for them,” coach Tim Jamieson said.
“A lot of guys are swinging the bats a lot better than they were earlier in the year,” Senne said. “That individual confidence boost is going to be big.”
Coleman echoed that sentiment. “This is a team willing to make adjustments,” Coleman said of Missouri’s offense. “We’re a different team than we were when we started.”
With wins in five of the last six games, Missouri has gone a long way toward erasing the disappointing memories of the team’s 2-7 start to the season. “We needed to gain some confidence,” Jamieson said. “I’m not sure we’re completely where we want to be, but we’re certainly better than we were ten days ago confidence-wise.”
