COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri junior pitcher Austin Marozas went a career-long 6.2 innings with a personal-best 10 strikeouts to guide the Tigers to a 10-3 win over South Carolina in Sunday’s rubber match at Taylor Stadium.
Mizzou (17-8, 3-6 SEC) capitalized on the strong outing with a 10-run effort at the plate to earn the series victory. Junior Luke Mann launched a pair of home runs, his fifth and sixth of the season, to lead the Tigers at the plate. The third baseman drove in four runs and scored four times in the win. Graduate Fox Leum went 3-for-4 at the dish for a second-straight day against the Gamecocks (13-14, 3-6 SEC) and added three RBI.
Marozas (1-0) settled in after allowing two early runs, retiring 17-straight South Carolina batters from the second inning into the seventh. He surrendered just two hits while striking out 10 and walking two.
IMPACT INNING
Trailing 2-1 midway through the game, the Tigers plated a pair in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. Sophomore Trevor Austin started the rally with a single into center field. Mann followed with a walk to put two aboard and the Tigers moved to second and third on a wild pitch. Leum plated both with a line drive into right field to put the Tigers ahead 3-2.
Mizzou never ceded the lead, scoring three in the sixth and four in the eighth to run away with the rubber game.
TOP TIGERS
Austin Marozas: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 10 K, 2 BB
Luke Mann: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R
Fox Leum: 3-for-4, 3 RBI
Mike Coletta: 2-for-4, RBI
IN THE NOTES
- Mann’s two-homer game is the first by a Tiger since the third baseman went deep twice against Auburn in the final series of 2021.
- Leum produced three RBI for the second straight game to help power the Tiger onslaught.
- Carter Rustad earned his first save of the season, getting the Tigers out of an eighth-inning jam and retiring 5-of-6 Gamecocks he faced.
- The Tigers have won four-straight home series against South Carolina and seven of the last eight games at Taylor Stadium against the Gamecocks.
- Mizzou’s 17-8 start is its best since 2018.
- Austin finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and two runs scored.
- Five Tigers had multi-hit games with Ty Wilmsmeyer and Mike Coletta joining Austin, Leum and Mann.
FROM THE SKIP
Coach Bieser on Marozas’ performance on the mound…
“The sinker ball guys, sometimes they have a little issue settling in early because they’ve got good velo, but man, once he started kind of wearing down a little bit and really getting that ball to the bottom of the zone and using his three-pitch mix, that was pretty special.”
On the series win…
“The guys just kept coming and coming and getting better each inning and really kind of stayed the course. So, proud of the way they responded all weekend long.”
UP NEXT
Mizzou finishes the homestand with a Wednesday night showdown against rival Kansas at Taylor Stadium. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network.
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