A recap of the Tigers’ eventful 3-game set down in Florida
Missouri leaves Fort Myers 2-1 in its clash against Mount Saint Mary’s from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and if the opening series felt a little bit chaotic, that’s because it is. Sometimes, February baseball is similar to a pilot episode of a show, you’re figuring out who the main characters are, who has the bigger roles, and what kind of tone the season will take.
In one game, the sky is falling. The next can feel like a breakout montage straight out of a Rocky movie.
The past weekend brought a variety of outcomes for Missouri baseball, in which ultimately the Tigers took 2-of-3 from Mount Saint Mary’s. How the Tigers got there matters more than the fact they simply did.
Opening Day Scare: The Tigers a Victim of a Come-From-Behind Victory
The season opener could have brought concern for Tiger fans. After the Tigers scored five runs on eight hits, through the opening five innings, opening day seemed to be smooth sailing. After missing all of his 2025 regular season due to Tommy John surgery, Javyn Pimental went five innings, allowing just one run and keeping Missouri in position to win.
Then Saint Mary’s broke it open in the sixth and seventh innings against the Missouri bullpen. The Tigers went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base. The chances were there. The victory couldn’t be obtained.
The Tigers 5-4 victory, its first of the season came one day later. Seven hits and a 2-for-7 clip with runners in scoring position was just enough to earn a hard fought victory for the Tigers, which ended on a 2-4, 3-2 double play and a Jase Woita throw to Mateo Serna at home plate to end the game.
As said repeatedly, even a chaotic double play, with runners at the corners in the bottom of the ninth, doesn’t single handedely decide a ballgame. Starter Josh McDevitt’s five shutout innings gave Missouri room to breathe, and the bullpen, including Ian Lohse in the ninth, did just enough to close it out.
Then came Sunday. Brady Kehlenbrink’s six strikeouts in five innings of work were just the appetizer to the full meal: the Mizzou offense.
Offensive Progression: From Missed Opportunities to Historic Output
Missouri erupted for 34 runs on 26 hits in a 34-3 win that completely flipped the tone of the weekend. The Tigers went 18-for-27 with runners in scoring position, drew 14 walks, and committed zero errors. Twelve different players reached base safely.
Leadoff batter Tyler Macon finished 6-for-6 with eight RBI. Jase Woita added four hits and eight RBI of his own. Missouri drove in 32 runs and piled up 18 two-out RBI. It wasn’t just a blowout. It was sustained, relentless pressure inning after inning.
Adding the cherry on top of the series was Sam Parker, coming in to pinch hit for Cameron Benson, who added a 3-run homer, the third hardest hit ball of the series at 105 mph, and making the score 33-3 in the eighth inning.
Sunday inflated the Mizzou offensive numbers to say the least, some individual program ones in a record-breaking way. As pointed out in the MU athletics article, 34 runs is the second-most in program history, one short of the 35-run performance back in 1902. 32 RBI, however, is a program best alongside 26 hits in the contest.
Ultimately, this series had all of the chaotic energy. The Tigers had their frustrating opener when their late lead slipped away, the hard-fought bounce-back performance, and the kind of offensive explosion that a gamer has when playing MLB The Show on rookie mode.
The 34-run outburst won’t be the norm, and the tighter and tougher games are still very much on the cards. If this weekend was a trailer for the identity of the Missouri baseball team. Offensive power and just maybe a slightly more stable pitching staff that isn’t quite yet feeling a massive injury bug.
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