Mizzou drops slugfest with Ole Miss, loses second straight SEC series

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou Baseball has lost back-to-back series to begin SEC play.

The Tigers (8-13) allowed six home runs to No. 18 Ole Miss (17-5) on Saturday evening, leading to a 17-10 loss at Taylor Stadium. The Rebels clinched a three-game series win, following this outing.

After allowing a three-run shot to Judd Utermark in the first inning, MU quickly re-tied the game with a bases-clearing, three-RBI triple from Jackson Lovich in the same frame.

However, two more home runs from the Rebels put the visitors back in front in the third inning. First, Ryan Moerman belted a solo blast to deep left field to break the 3-3 tie. Then, Isaac Humphrey added two more runs to the scoreboard with a home run over the right-center field wall, making it a 6-3 score.

MU responded to Ole Miss' rally again, though. Cayden Nicoletto cut the team's deficit to two runs with an RBI single in the home half of the frame, supplying another spark for the Tigers. Then, Brock Daniels gave Mizzou its first lead of the night, crushing a go-ahead, opposite field three-run home run to put the team ahead 7-6 after three innings.

However, MU's pitching staff continued to struggle at keeping the ball in the ballpark. After Kadden Drew gave up three home runs in his three-inning start, Ole Miss hit two more off Brock Lucas, who relieved Drew in the fourth frame. Will Furniss started a five-run frame with a pinch-hit, three-run to left-center field, and Humphrey ended that rally with his second home run of the game, a two-run shot into the left field bullpen that gave Ole Miss an 11-7 advantage.

Mizzou trailed by as many as seven runs in the contest but tried to manufacture a comeback. Lovich and Daniels added to their team-best four-RBI performances with run-scoring hits in a three-run seventh inning, but MU was unable to completely erase its deficit.

Nicoletto (3), Lovich (2), Daniels (2) and Kaden Peer (2) each recorded multi-hit efforts at the dish, guiding an 11-hit outing for the Tigers, which featured four extra-base hits.

However, Ole Miss punished MU with 16 earned runs on six home runs, eight extra-base hits and 16 hits over the course of the nine-inning contest. The Rebels scored 26 runs in the first two games of this series.

Up next - Mizzou will aim to avoid a sweep on Sunday, March 22 in its series finale with Ole Miss. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.