Mizzou secures first SEC win of Kerrick Jackson era

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

First-year head coach Kerrick Jackson has won his first conference game since taking over the Mizzou baseball program. The Tigers locked down a 2-1 win over Kentucky on Saturday at Taylor Stadium, forcing a rubber match between the two teams on Sunday morning.

After Kentucky struck first in the third inning on a squeeze bunt from Grant Smith, Mizzou returned the favor with a squeeze play of their own. Helias alum Trevor Austin laid down a stunning squeeze bunt to tie the game 1-1 in the bottom half of the frame. Then, Jedier Hernandez gave the Tigers their first lead of the afternoon with an RBI double.

Mizzou led 2-1 after three frames, and the Tiger pitching staff kept Kentucky off the scoreboard for the rest of the game. Javyn Pimental allowed just one run and four hits while striking out five batters in his six-inning outing. Bryce Mayer relieved Pimental in the seventh inning and shut down Kentucky's bats for three consecutive frames, giving up just one hit and posting four strikeouts.

Five different Tigers recorded a hit in this contest, and Austin and Hernandez posted one RBI each.

Up next - Jackson's crew is now hunting its first SEC series win of its 2024 campaign. The Tigers will wrap up their three-game weekend series with Kentucky on Sunday, March 23 at 11 a.m.