Mizzou’s home run party outlasts Lamar’s comeback bid

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Led by Hank Zeisler’s three home runs, the University of Missouri baseball team mashed its way to a 10-8 victory over Lamar on Saturday afternoon at Taylor Stadium.

Missouri (13-3), who scored in six of his eight at-bats, belted six home runs in a game for the first time in nearly 15 years. The Tigers needed everyone to fend off a late comeback bid by the Cardinals (13-4) and claim their 13th win of the season.

Zeisler staked the Tigers to a three-run cushion with two outs in the front half of the first, before adding solo blasts in the fifth and seventh frames to extend Mizzou’s lead. The graduate transfer matched his career high with five RBIs to help the Tigers post their best single-game power play since a seven-homer night against Texas on April 11, 2008.

The Tigers wasted no time building their lead. In the first, Ross Lovich reached on a one-out single that dropped into right field, before Trevor Austin kept the frame alive by coaxing a two-out walk. With two aboard, Zeisler drove two homers with a three-run shot off the batter’s eye in center field.

Juju Stevens added Mizzou’s fourth run to lead off the second inning, scoring his second run of the season just past Tanner Wilson over the center field wall.

Four runs was enough to give Ian Lohse some breathing room in the starting effort, as the junior lefty tossed two shutout innings while striking out a pair to complement the Tigers’ efforts.

In the fourth inning, the Tigers loaded the bases with a single from Tre Morris and a pair of full-length walks, changing the lineup to Luke Mann. The third baseman roped a single into right field, bringing in Morris and Ty Wilmsmeyer.

Zeisler connected on his second home run of the game in the next up, crushing no doubt to right to open up Mizzou’s six-run advantage.

The Cardinals made the contest close with a five-run seventh inning, buoyed by a pair of two-run home runs from Ben MacNaughton and Ryan Snell, cutting Missouri’s lead to just one run.

When the Tigers needed it most, Zeisler struck back, taking a 1-2 offering inside the Missouri bullpen in left field by an 8-6 margin. The Tigers hit two homers to recover from a four-run bulge, as Justin Colon led off eight with his second long ball of the year, before Dalton Bargo’s drive over the left-center field wall for his first collegiate home run and 10. -6 Mizzou edge .

On the mound, the Mizzou pitching staff punched out nine Cardinals, with Logan Lunceford (2-0) hurling four innings of one-run relief while striking out four to help the Tigers maintain an early lead.

Tony Neubeck entered in the eighth, going through a three-up, three-down inning before getting out of harm’s way after the Cardinals scored twice in the ninth and put a potential run in scoring position. The left-hander homered Kirkland Banks 3-2 to lock up Mizzou’s 12th win in its last 13 contests heading into the Southeastern Conference opener this weekend.

TIGER NOTEBOOK

• Mizzou improved to 8-1 at home this season and 390-226 all-time at Taylor Stadium
• The Tigers improved their record to 3-0 in midweek action
• Mizzou improved its record to 6-1 all-time against Lamar, with the Tigers taking the first matchup between the schools in Columbia.
• For the fourth time this season, the Tigers put at least 10 runs on the scoreboard
• The Tigers homered on six occasions Wednesday, marking the most Missouri has hit since April 11, 2008, when they hit seven against Texas at Taylor Stadium.
• Hank Zeisler became the first Tiger to hit three home runs in a game since Trey Harris accomplished the feat on April 15, 2017 against Kentucky.
• Zeisler recorded his first multi-homer game in Black and Gold, reaching the milestone for the second time in his Division I career (vs. San Diego State, May 19, 2022)
• Zeisler’s five RBIs tied his career high (April 24, 2022 vs. New Mexico) and marked the season best by a Tiger hitter
• Luke Mann extends hitting streak to 12 games, hits a pair of runs for fourth multi-RBI contest in 2023
• Dalton Bargo’s solo home run in the eighth inning signified his first collegiate home run
• Bargo and Tre Morris each recorded two hits, marking their third and fourth hits of the season, respectively.
• Tony Neubeck recorded his first collegiate save, pitching two innings and striking out three to close out the contest.

UP NEXT

Mizzou will open its 2023 SEC schedule on Saturday when it welcomes No. 4 Tennessee to Taylor Stadium for a three-game series.