Tigers Clinch Series at No. 25 Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. – For a second-straight night, a Missouri Tiger hit two home runs as Torin Montgomery launched a pair of long balls and racked up six RBI to key a 10-3 win over No. 25 Georgia at Foley Field.

Montgomery lifted a pair of three-run homers in his 3-for-5 day at the dish. The six-RBI performance helped Mizzou (28-22, 10-19 SEC) clinch the series over the Bulldogs and keep their SEC Tournament hopes alive heading into the final day of the regular season. Freshman Justin Colon came off the bench in place of an injured Luke Mann and produced a 2-for-2 day with a triple and three runs scored to add to the winning effort. 

On the mound, Nathan Landry (4-2) was spectacular in six innings of relief work to pick up the win. The left-hander fanned seven while allowing just two runs on three hits in his longest outing of the season. He retired 11-straight Bulldogs spanning the final out of the fourth inning through the first out of the eighth.

For Georgia (34-20, 14-15 SEC), ace Jonathan Cannon (9-3) allowed eight runs on seven hits. The Bulldogs scored all three of their runs on solo homers.

Mizzou jumped to the lead on Montgomery’s first three-run homer of the evening in the third inning. Georgia pulled a run back in the fourth before the Tigers put up a four-spot in the fifth to pull away. Mizzou added insurance runs in each of the next three innings to ice the win.

IMPACT INNING

Leading 3-1 in the fifth, Missouri broke the game open with a four-run inning. Ty Wilmsmeyer started the frame with an infield single before Colon drew a walk to put two aboard. The Tigers applied the pressure with a grounder deep to third and Georgia fired wide of second base allowing a run to score. Montgomery followed with a towering homer to left center, his second of the day, to make it 7-1 Tigers.

TOP TIGERS

Torin Montgomery: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI

Nathan Landry: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

Justin Colon: 2-for-2, 3B, 3 R, BB

IN THE NOTES

• Tony Neubeck went three innings while allowing a single run in the start. He recorded five-straight strikeouts from the end of first to third inning.
• Montgomery’s six RBI are the most by a Tiger since Austin James had six against K-State on April 3, 2019.
• Colon’s two-hit night was his third multi-hit game of the season. His triple was the first of his career and just the fifth for the Tigers on the year.
• Neubeck and Landry combined to strikeout 12 Bulldogs in the game.
• Wilmsmeyer finished 2-for-3 at the plate and laid down a perfect squeeze bunt in the sixth.

THE ROAD TO HOOVER

With the win, Mizzou will enter the final day of the regular season in the hunt for a berth in the SEC Tournament. A Tigers win coupled with a Kentucky loss would send Mizzou to Hoover.

FROM THE SKIP

Coach Bieser on the series-clinching victory…

“Another really well-played game, great job by the guys. I mean, we’re facing a first-round draft pick and I thought offensively we came out and really attacked him and kind of put him on the ropes and always kept him pressing. So, offensively it was solid and then the pitching performance – Neubeck did his job and then Landry was spectacular.”

UP NEXT

Mizzou and Georgia wrap up the regular season with a 1 p.m. CT first pitch on Saturday afternoon. The game will stream on SEC Network +.

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-MUTigers.com-