Slow start dooms Mizzou in fifth straight defeat at Taylor Stadium

Missouri pitcher Brady Kehlenbrink winds up to throw a pitch during the second game of a series against Texas A&M on Saturday, March 28 at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Mo. | Dan Murphy / Rock M Saturday evening was a time of repetition for Mizzou baseball in the sense that the game began by them digging their own hole. This time, the Tigers just weren’t nearly as close to getting out of it in their 13-4 loss against Texas A&M at Taylor Stadium.

In Friday’s 11-9 defeat at the hands of the No. 25 ranked Aggies, Jackson’s squad went down by double digits after a Josh McDevitt outing went haywire in the top half of the fourth, as Texas A&M put up a seven slot in the top half of the fourth. This contest was no different for Missouri (17-11, 1-6 SEC) and it brought some of the similar problems that has plagued Jackson’s squad as of late.

Slow starts, runners left on base, A&M’s (20-5, 3-4 SEC) bats came out blitzering once again and the pitching arm on the receiving end of the damage tonight was Brady Kehlenbrink. In total, nine earned runs, four walks and a home run were allowed by the starter and it was a rocky outing from the jump. After Gravin Grahovac walked Jake Duer yanked a ball down the left‑field line for an RBI single, with Chris Hacopian hustling to third.

A couple pitches later, Nico Partida chopped one to third and Hacopian scored on the fielder’s choice, so Missouri was down two before it even got to the plate. Mizzou’s bats answered in the second, albeit in the fashion of a small ball. A single by Blaize Ward, was followed by a bunt attempt by Donovan Jordan which got him on base.