Missouri falls to Le Moyne, 6-5
The Tigers took their lumps on Friday, as did centerfielder Brannon Champagne.
The sophomore was hit by four pitches in Missouri’s 6-5 loss to Le Moyne, an uncomfortable day made worse by the Tigers’ inability to find hits against mediocre pitching. The defense, led by sure-handed third baseman Connor Mach, kept Missouri in the game before finally faltering late.
A mistake-plagued 8th inning spoiled another impressive outing for freshman lefty Rob Zastryzny, who gave up three earned runs and struck out eight in 7.1 innings.
Tied 3-3 entering the 8th, Zastryzny and right-handed reliever Dusty Ross each gave up singles. After two strikeouts, Le Moyne shortstop Matt Marra lined a single to right. The ball got underneath Blake Brown’s glove, and both Dolphin base runners scored. Marra attempted to take third on the play, and second baseman Eric Garcia sailed the throw into the third base stands. Marra was awarded home plate, and after a play that contained one hit and two errors, the Dolphins had plated three and claimed a 6-3 lead.
The Tigers made a late comeback in the ninth inning, trying to send a strong crowd at Taylor Stadium home happy. Ryan Gebhart led off with a walk, and after Jesse Santo reached base on an error and Blake Brown singled to left field, Missouri had the bases loaded with nobody out. Champagne’s fourth hit-by-pitch then scored Gebhart, and Ben Turner followed with an RBI single that resulted in Santo scoring but pinch runner Sal Belfonte being thrown out at the plate.
This signaled a major momentum shift in favor of Le Moyne, and reliever Jerome Werniuk forced Jonah Schmidt to fly out and then punched out Scott Sommerfeld to end the rally and secure a 6-5 win.
Missouri will look for redemption in their doubleheader against Le Moyne on Saturday, kicking off at Taylor Stadium at 1 p.m. CT.