There was a merry-go-round at the Missouri baseball game Sunday.
Powered by a relentless offense, Missouri rolled past Mount St. Mary’s 34-3 to win the rubber match and take the series 2-1 at Terry Park in Fort Myers, Florida. Every Tiger in the starting lineup scored at least one run.
Missouri set a school record with 32 RBI, eclipsing the previous mark of 28. Newcomer Sam Parker delivered the record-breaking blow, launching a 423-foot, three-run home run in his debut. Two batters later, freshman catcher Juliomar Campos singled to tie the program record for hits in a game with 26.
“It was a good game from start to finish,” coach Kerrick Jackson said postgame on Mizzou Radio. “All we asked our guys to do was compete for nine innings, compete every pitch and put ourselves in position to win the series.”
The scoring avalanche began with a 13-run third inning, during which 18 Tigers came to the plate. Missouri had already plated five runs in the second before breaking the game open.
Designated hitter Cameron Benson opened the third with a double and scored on a single from third baseman Chris Patterson. Patterson later walked with the bases loaded to push home the seventh run of the inning. Center fielder Tyler Macon and left fielder Isaiah Frost inflicted the most damage, each collecting a single and a double. Macon drove in three runs, while Frost plated four.
Macon also drove in two runs with a single during Missouri’s five-run second inning and added another RBI in the fourth to make it 20-3. After Macon’s two-run single in the second, first baseman Jase Woita launched Missouri’s first home run of the game, a 408-foot, three-run shot. Woita added a two-run single in the third.
Missouri continued to pile on, scoring five runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the seventh. Frost drove in his fifth RBI of the game, and Macon recorded his seventh on singles in the fifth to push the score to 25-3.
The trio of Frost, Macon and Woita combined for 21 RBI. Macon finished 6-for-6 with two walks, eight RBI and four runs, becoming just the third player in program history to record six hits in a game.
In his Tigers debut, Texas A&M transfer Jamal George scored three runs without recording a hit, drawing a walk and getting hit by two pitches. He later added a triple in the fifth and scored for the fourth time on Frost’s third hit of the game.
“Obviously we had really good pitching performances this weekend,” Jackson said. “Brady got a little rocky there early, but overall we stayed consistent with what we’re trying to do.”
Sophomore left-hander Brady Kehlenbrink earned the win, tossing five innings and allowing three runs on three hits. All three runs came on a three-run homer in the second inning by Mount St. Mary’s right fielder Sam Meyer. Kehlenbrink struck out six and walked one.
Four freshmen — left-hander Dane Bjorn, right-handers Keagen Kohlhoff, Eli Skidmore and Luke Sullivan — each logged a scoreless inning in their collegiate debuts. Freshman outfielder Leo Humbert and Campos also made their first collegiate appearances.
The last time Missouri scored 30 or more runs was April 11, 2008, in a 31-12 win over Texas. The Tigers (2-1) will travel to face Florida Atlantic at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Boca Raton, Florida.