Box Score COLUMBIA, Mo. - The UALR baseball team (16-17) held a 5-4 lead over Missouri after 6 ½ innings on Tuesday night, but the Tigers (17-14) scored three runs in both the seventh and eighth inning to down the Trojans, 10-5, at Taylor Stadium. Eric Garcia and Michael McGraw drove in three runs apiece to help snap Missouri's four-game losing streak, while extending UALR's skid to seven games.
Missouri took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as UALR starter Tyler Buckley opened the game by hitting the first two batters of the game before surrendering back-to-back singles. Buckley retired just one batter before being pulled for freshman Cameron Allen, who limited the Tigers to two unearned runs and six hits over a season-high 5.2 innings in relief.
Trailing 2-0, the Trojans pushed across four runs in the top of the third to take a 4-2 lead. Senior Nick Rountree tied things up with a two-run single to left, and junior Blake Johnson followed with a two-run single of his own to put the Trojans on top.
Missouri took advantage of a fielding error at first base to plate a pair of unearned runs and tie things up at 4-all in the bottom of the fifth. Ben Turner made it a 4-3 ballgame with an RBI groundout to second, and Garcia knotted things up at 4-all with a run-scoring single up the middle. UALR reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh, despite going hitless in the frame, as Missouri's Jake Walsh walked two batters and hit another. With the bases loaded and one out, junior David Guarno put the Trojans ahead, 5-4, with a sacrifice fly to right.
Leading 5-4, UALR turned things over to Andrew Hohn in the bottom of the seventh. The sophomore left-hander retired the first two batters he faced on a pair of ground ball outs, but Missouri took advantage of back-to-back walks to put together a three-run rally. Walks to Dane Opel and Turner set the stage for consecutive RBI singles by Garcia and Scott Sommerfield, the last of which put the Tigers ahead for good. Sophomore Austin Pfeiffer came on to pitch following Sommerfield's single, but could not prevent Missouri from extending its lead as McGraw delivered a RBI base knock of his own.
Free passes cost the Trojans in the bottom of the eighth as well, as Pfeiffer opened the frame by walking Brannon Champagne and hitting Connor Mach. Juniors Marshal Hamrick and Bubba Cooper both took the mound for UALR in relief of Pfeiffer in the eighth, but Missouri used a bases-loaded walk from Sommerfield and a two-run single by McGraw to make it a 10-5 ballgame.
Walsh turned things over to Dusty Ross with two on and two outs in the eighth, and the senior reliever recorded the final four outs to seal the win. Walsh allowed four walks, one hit and one run over 2.0 innings in relief, but picked up the win to improve to 2-2 on the year.
Hohn (0-1) suffered his first loss of the season after surrendering two hits, two walks and three runs over 0.2 innings. The Trojans were outhit 13-to-9 in the loss, despite two-hit performances from junior Chris Burk and sophomore Bryson Thionnet.
UALR returns to action this weekend (April 13-15) when it welcomes South Alabama to Gary Hogan Field for a three-game set.
