Mizzou gets run-ruled by Auburn on senior day; series heads to rubber match
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou baseball team would've liked to clinch a series win against Auburn on Saturday, as the race to make the SEC Tournament in Hoover continues. But the last place team in the SEC fought back. Auburn run-ruled MU 12-2 in eight innings on MU's senior day to even up the series at one game apiece.
It took a few innings for both offenses to get going, but the Auburn Tigers struck first in the third. Ike Irish hit an RBI single to the left side to plate the first run of the game. Then, his teammate Chase Belyeu added to the lead with a towering solo home run to right field to give the away team the two-run advantage.
Mizzou did manage to get on the board in the home half of the fifth inning to make it a 3-1 ball game, however, head coach Kerrick Jackson's team never approached a lead on Saturday.
Auburn put the game out of reach with a four-run sixth inning and three-run seventh. War Eagle finished with 12 runs on 17 hits, scoring 42 percent of the time that it had runners in scoring position.
The hometown Tigers did not find nearly as much success at the dish, scratching just two runs across in the game two loss. Mizzou struck out 17 times, as Auburn starter Chase Allsup was throwing some heat at Taylor Stadium. He tossed for five innings and fanned nine MU batters.
Senior Ian Lohse got the start on the hill for Jackson's team. He got pulled after 2.2 innings of action in which he allowed one earned run on three hits. He is charged with the loss to fall to 0-3 on the season.
Fellow senior Carter Rustad came in in relief after Lohse's day came to an end and Rustad's outing is where most of the damage happened. In his 3.1 innings of work, Auburn scored nine runs on 10 hits.
As of now, Jackson and company are sitting outside of the field of 12 teams that will make the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, in 13th place in the conference.
Up next - Mizzou will look for an important series win over Auburn in the rubber match on Sunday, May 12. First pitch is slated 1 p.m. at Taylor Stadium.
