Tigers defeat Minnesota's Golden Gophers

The Tigers set the tone early with a season-high 20 runs.

By Evan Glantz

Published April 9, 2009

The Tigers' baseball team overcame its offensive struggles in a big way Wednesday, beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 20-5. All nine starters scored at least one run, and the 20 runs were a season high for Missouri.

"I thought I swung the bat a lot better, but we got a lot of help too," coach Tim Jamieson said. "They had 14 walks, five hit batsmen, but I thought we had some big hits as well to go with it. We didn't let down like we have in the past, where we score some runs and then we kind of go away for a while. We did a good job of sustaining it throughout the game."

The Tigers set the tone early. With the bases loaded in the first, senior Steve Gray unloaded on a pitch that curved just foul before leaving the park. The disappointment did not last long. The next pitch he stroked a single up the middle, driving in two runs to put Missouri up 3-0. Overall, the team scored at least one run in all, but two of the eight innings it hit.

"It was good to come out and get an offensive production like that," Gray said. "I think we all expect a lot out of our offense and it hasn't been there all year, so hopefully a game like this can help turn us around."

After scoring five runs and batting around the order in the first, Missouri scored nine runs and sent 13 men to the plate in the second inning. The rally was keyed by junior designated hitter Trevor Coleman who hit a two-out, two-run homerun in the inning to put Missouri up 8-1. A few batters later, senior shortstop Kyle Mach gave the Tigers an 11-1 lead with a single.

Missouri also got another strong outing by "Johnny Wholestaff." This is the name Jamieson has given to games in which Tiger pitchers only pitch an inning or two. The staff allowed five runs, three earned, while striking out eight Gopher hitters.

On the other side, the Missouri hitters took advantage of inconsistent pitching by Minnesota. They drew 14 walks and patiently worked the pitchers.

"The pitchers didn't throw too many strikes, and we didn't chase," Mach said. "We took what they gave us and took the free bases. We went up there looking for the right pitch and had a plan today and it showed."

The offensive explosion came just a day after the Golden Gophers took the series opener, and limited Missouri to three runs. Missouri looked anxious at the plate, drawing only four walks, while failing to take advantage of opportunities.

"I wouldn't say we struggled yesterday. They just played a better game than we did," Mach said. "We made a couple base running mistakes and made too many errors, but they're a good team and we stuck it on them today."