SEMO Spoils Baseball’s Home Opener, 8-3

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Southeast Missouri scored six times in the fifth inning to build an eight-run lead, then cruised to a weather-shortened 8-3 victory over University of Missouri baseball in the Tigers’ home opener Tuesday evening at Taylor Stadium.

The Redhawks (3-6) tallied single runs in the second and third frames, getting a leadoff home run from Chance Resetich to plate their first run, before taking advantage of three hit batsman in the third to scratch out another for a 2-0 lead.

Bryce Cannon’s grand slam highlighted the decisive six-run rally, as SEMO cashed in four walks handed out by Mizzou (4-4) hurlers in the inning. The first five SEMO hitters of the inning reached via a walk or hit by pitch, the last two of which forced home the third and fourth runs of the night. Cannon then belted an 0-2 pitch from Nic Smith over the right-center field wall for an 8-0 Redhawks lead.

Mizzou answered with its first scoring rally of the game in the home half of the fifth, using the first of Isaiah Frost’s two walks in the game to set the table. Jedier Hernandez followed with a base hit to right, and Brock Daniels brought the runner home from third with a bouncer to the right side. A two-out error on Trevor Austin’s ground ball to shortstop chased home a second MU run, making it a six-run affair.

The Tigers chipped away at the lead again in the seventh, as Tucker Moore drove a leadoff homer out to right for his first collegiate round-tripper that pulled Mizzou to within 8-3.

After freshman right-hander Josh McDevitt retired the Redhawks in order in the top of the eighth, lightning would bring a halt to the contest. A delay of 45 minutes ensued before the contest was called due to weather.

Moore led the Mizzou offense with a 2-for-4 performance, while fellow freshman Kaden Peer added a pair of hits for MU. On the mound, Daniel Wissler (1-1) turned in an impressive first start as a Tiger, striking out the side in the first before surrendering the first run of the game.

Two more freshmen, Charlie Miller and McDevitt, each turned in scoreless relief outings, and Ben Pedersen worked a 1-2-3 sixth inning.

TIGER NOTEBOOK

• Missouri dropped its first home opener since 2015, when they lost a 7-4 decision to Milwaukee.
• The Tigers fell to 25-15 all-time vs. Southeast Missouri and 18-9 in Columbia vs. the Redhawks.
• Peer logged his first multi-hit game as a Tiger, finishing 2-for-2.
• Drew Culbertson saw his four-game hit streak end with an 0-for-3 night.
• Austin’s five-game hit streak came to an end as well, as the senior went 0-for-4.
• Daniels recorded his first career RBI, driving in the Tigers’ first run of the game with a fifth-inning ground ball.
• Pederson registered his first strikeout since May 15, 2021, vs. Mississippi State.
• Miles Garrett made his first mound appearance as a Tiger—and his first overall since April 10, 2021, while pitching for Vanderbilt.
• Miller recorded a career-high strikeouts, fanning three of the four batters he faced.

UP NEXT
Mizzou continues its nine-game home stand Friday (March 1) when it opens a three-game series with Northern Kentucky at 6 p.m.

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