SAUGET, Ill. – University of Missouri baseball scored eight times in the first two innings then plated a pair of late runs to stave off an Illinois rally for an 11-9 Braggin’ Rights victory over the Fighting Illini Tuesday evening at Grizzlies Ballpark.
Jackson Lovich powered Mizzou’s 12-hit attack, belting a two-run home run to stake the Tigers to a first-inning lead, before adding a pair of RBI-singles as part of a 3-for-5, four-RBI night. Gehrig Goldbeck matched his Mizzou career-high with a three-hit effort, bringing in a run with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch during the Tigers’ five-run second, as well as adding a run-scoring single in the sixth to extend MU’s lead to 9-0.
The Tigers (9-14) broke from the gate with a flurry of offense, putting their first four batters of the game on base in the opening frame, sparked by Goldbeck’s bunt single to lead off the contest. Lovich followed with a towering two-run blast to left field for his sixth home run of the season and a 2-0 Mizzou advantage. Cayden Nicoletto followed suit, spanking a double to right, then coming around on Mateo Serna’s base hit to make it a three-run game.
After starting pitcher Wil Libbert fanned a pair of Illini hitters to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first, Mizzou went back on the offensive in the second to stretch its advantage. A leadoff walk to Pierre Seals and a Kaden Peer base hit set up the rally, before Illinois right-hander Ryan Daly (1-2) hit Peyton Basler and Goldbeck to force home a run. Lovich’s second hit made it a 5-0 lead, and Serna delivered a two-run single to inflict even more damage. Finally, Keegan Knutson – the ninth Mizzou hitter of the rally – brought home Lovich with the eighth Tigers run of the game to cap the scoring outburst.
Libbert (2-2) held the defending Big Ten champions in check through five shutout innings, retiring seven straight batters at one point. The left-hander didn’t allow a baserunner to reach scoring position from the second through the fifth frames, striking out five Illini in the process.
But Illinois’ offense came to life in the sixth, following Goldbeck’s two-out, RBI-single that pushed the MU lead to nine runs in the top half of the inning. A walk and back-to-back singles set up Collin Jennings’ grand slam to right-center that sliced the Tigers lead to 9-4 and ended Libbert’s evening.
The Illini (12-10) tacked on two more in the sixth, plating a fifth run on a two-out wild pitch, then pulling to within three runs on Greg LaChance’s RBI-single.
The two offenses traded home runs in the seventh – first with Nicoletto lining a leadoff shot over the right-field wall to momentarily make it a four-run game, followed by Vytas Valincius’ two-run blast to center that brought the Illini to within 10-8.
Mizzou kept the pressure on Illinois, adding another insurance run in the eighth thanks to Lovich’s two-out, infield hit that scored Basler from second. The Illini answered with their third round-tripper – a solo shot by Jacob Schroeder to open the home half of the eighth.
But Xavier Lovett locked down the victory – and his second save – by retiring six of the final seven hitters he faced over the final two innings.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- With the victory, Missouri improved to 17-15-1 all-time vs. Illinois.
- The Tigers improved to 11-5 vs. Illinois since 1988.
- Lovich’s three-hit day marked his fourth-consecutive multi-hit, multi-RBI performance (since March 21); it represents his 10th multi-hit game of the season and his eighth multi-RBI effort.
- Lovich and Goldbeck combined for six of the Tigers’ 12 hits in the game.
- The top four hitters in the Mizzou batting order (Goldbeck, Lovich, Nicoletto and Serna) went a combined 10-for-19 with 10 RBIs.
- Libbert notched his second mound victory as a Tiger, striking out five over 5.0-plus innings.
- Mizzou logged its 14th double-digit hit total in just 23 games this season.
- Four MU pitchers (Libbert, Ben Smith, Brock Lucas and Lovett) totaled eight strikeouts, hiking the Tigers’ season total to 203.
- The win stopped Mizzou’s losing streak at seven games, which marked its longest since a 10-game skid during the 2021 season (April 24-May 13).
UP NEXT
Mizzou returns to Columbia to open a three-game Southeastern Conference series with No. 7 Texas Friday evening at 6 p.m.
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