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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Alabama’s bats stayed warm in spite of blustery playing conditions, as the Crimson Tide offense produced runs in each of the final six innings Saturday to hand Missouri a 10-4 setback in the second game of the two clubs’ Southeastern Conference series at Taylor Stadium.
Colby Shelton powered UA’s 15-hit attack, homering twice and driving in four runs as part of a 3-for-5 performance in front of an announced crowd of 2,282 that braved near-freezing temperatures.
The Crimson Tide (28-12, 8-9 SEC) hit four home runs and scored in seven of the nine innings, beginning with a three-run fourth that was fueled by Shelton’s two-run blast that snapped a 1-1 deadlock. The freshman third baseman sparked another scoring rally in the fifth with his leadoff double, then cracked his second round-tripper of the day to open the seventh inning.
After Alabama scored a first-inning run on a Rorik Maltrud wild pitch, both starting pitchers enjoyed strong showings in the early frames. Maltrud struck out a pair of UA hitters in each of the first two innings and tallied five punchouts through three innings.
But a walk to Dominic Tamez opened the door for Alabama in the fourth, and Shelton worked the count full on Maltrud before launching his 14th home run of the season to right-center for a 3-1 UA lead. The Tide added a third run to the rally after back-to-back singles by Andrew Pinckney and Jaxson West set up another run-scoring wild pitch.
Mizzou (23-15, 5-12 SEC) countered with its first run of the game in the home half of the fourth, loading the bases on a Hank Zeisler double and two walks. Tre Morris was hit by a Garrett McMillan pitch to force home a run, but a strikeout and a bouncer to short ended the inning without further damage.
UA made it a 5-1 game thanks to doubles by Tamez and Shelton in the fifth, but the Tigers responded with a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning to slice the margin to one run. Luke Mann coaxed a walk and Trevor Austin was hit by a pitch to set up Zeisler’s three-run homer to right, bringing Mizzou to within 5-4.
But once again the Tide responded, this time plating one in the sixth, before home runs by Shelton and Caden Rose broke the game wide open in the seventh.
The Tigers loaded the bases in the home half of the seventh, getting a double from Austin and back-to-back walks to spark the threat. But Riley Quick induced a grounder to short off the bat of Morris to extinguish the rally.
The visitors added single runs in the eighth and ninth innings as well, with Pinckney hitting the fourth UA home run of the game to lead off the ninth.
Hunter Hoopes (1-0) picked up the victory, combining with Hunter Furtado and Quick to hold the Tigers scoreless over the final 4 1/3 innings. Quick earned the save with 2.1 shutout innings, as five UA hurlers combined to post 10 total strikeouts in the contest.
Maltrud (1-2) suffered the loss for Mizzou, despite his five strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings.
Zeisler reached base in four of his five trips to the plate as part of a 3-for-4 night. Austin also posted a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-4.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- The Tigers fell to 13-5 at Taylor Stadium this season, dropping back-to-back home games for the first time in 2023
- Mizzou dropped its sixth-straight meeting with Alabama dating back to 2018, falling to 7-11 all-time vs. the Crimson Tide
- Zeisler logged his team-leading 10th multi-RBI game of the season, totaling three RBIs
- Zeisler also registered his 11th home run as a Tiger and the 42nd of his collegiate career
- Austin posted his 10th multi-hit game of the season
- Tonight’s announced attendance of 2,282 marked the 12th different home crowd of 1,000 or more spectators — and the Tigers’ seventh in a row — in Mizzou’s 15 home dates this season
UP NEXT
The Tigers and Crimson Tide conclude their three-game SEC series Sunday (April 23) with a 1 p.m. contest at Taylor Stadium. Single-game tickets for Sunday’s game — and all Mizzou baseball home games in 2023 — are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS, or by visiting MUTigers.com/feature/BSBTix.
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