Mizzou falls in run-rule fashion to LSU in series opener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The defending NCAA champions' trip to Columbia got off to a rough start for the hometown Tigers. Mizzou Baseball dropped its series opener 12-1 to LSU on Friday night, falling to 5-11 in SEC play.

The Baton Rouge Tigers outscored Mizzou 8-1 in the first three frames of the game. During those three innings, LSU hit three home runs, courtesy of Brady Neal, Steven Milam and Hayden Travinski. Kerrick Jackson's crew got a run back in the bottom half of the third inning with an RBI single from Jeric Curtis, but LSU responded with four unanswered runs, including the team's fourth home run of the game, to hand Mizzou a run-rule loss.

Logan Lunceford struggled on the mound, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits in less than three innings of work. Collectively, Mizzou's bullpen gave up four earned runs of its own on six hits.

Curtis, Brock Daniels and Jackson Beaman posted Mizzou's only three hits of the game, which were all singles. LSU ended Friday night with 13 hits as a team and eight of them were for extra bases.

Up next - Mizzou will aim to even its three-game weekend series with LSU on April 20. First pitch for Saturday's game is scheduled for 4 p.m.