The Tigers brought their win streak to eight games, the longest in coach Kerrick Jackson’s three seasons, with a series sweep of North Dakota State Saturday at home.

Small ball dominated the offense, with Mizzou scoring 12 runs without a homer and just two extra-base hits in the weekend’s doubleheader. The starting pitching had its struggles, but was able to keep the Tigers in a winning position.

“Just a really good day for our club,” Jackson said.

Game 1: Missouri 5, NDSU 3

It appeared the Tigers would continue with their high scoring of late, but the bats fell silent after a hot beginning. Missouri came back for a 5-3 win over North Dakota State in the first game of the doubleheader.

Missouri quickly brought in two runs in the first inning after three straight singles and then a sacrifice fly from freshman second baseman Blaize Ward to commence the scoring. It was followed by another single and then two walks, the latter of which scored the second and final run until the bottom of the fifth.

After the Bisons tied the game in the top half of the fifth inning, Mizzou responded with three runs. A walk, hit, then fielder’s choice from shortstop Eric Maisonet brought around the first of the runs. The next two scored on a single from third baseman Chris Patterson.

In his first home start of the season, right-hander Josh McDevitt struggled. He only allowed two runs to cross while he was on the mound, but left a runner upon his exit. Two pitches later, that runner came around to score, leaving McDevitt with a final line of four innings and three runs allowed on three hits. His struggles came from a lack of control, as McDevitt walked four in his outing.

McDevitt is the first Tigers starter to not pitch at least five innings this season. He was pulled for lefty Kadden Drew, who got two outs before being pulled after walking a batter.

PJ Green replaced Drew and quickly gave up a single to center, which allowed a run to score. When center fielder Tyler Macon threw it back in, he tossed it toward the first-base running lane, dragging catcher Jamal George in that direction. The batter wandered off the base and George dove to try to snag an out, but was unsuccessful.

Green, right-hander Sam Rosand and left-hander Ian Lohse teamed up for three scoreless innings to conclude the game and secure the Tigers’ seventh-straight win.

Game 2: Missouri 7, NDSU 5

All energy was drained from the team in the second game of the doubleheader. The Tigers got sloppy and the bats became inconsistent.

But some late life was brought back in the bottom of the eighth and helped Mizzou survive with the 7-5 win over NDSU for the series sweep.

St. Louis Cardinals legend Whitey Herzog, a great purveyor of small ball, would have admired the Tigers’ offensive output in the bottom of the fourth, fifth and especially the eighth.

Down by a run to begin, MU completed a comeback with a three-run penultimate inning. Three free bases via two walks and a hit-by-pitch aided the Tigers. Two singles from Macon and designated hitter Jase Woita brought in the runs to make it 7-5.

“Coach Jackson just told us to trust ourselves,” Woita said. “We’ve been in that position before and we are going to find a way to come out on top.”

Aggressive base running and small ball dominated in the fourth inning, which saw three runs cross. A trio of Tigers recorded a single — none of which left the infield — and two had walks. Also aiding the scoring was a sacrifice bunt from Ward to the pitcher to advance runners to second and third.

The Tigers continued that trend with another run added in the fifth on a walk, single, sacrifice bunt, then fielding error committed by the Bisons to make it 4-1.

Backing the small ball up on the mound was left-handed starter Brady Kehlenbrink, who reached a new career high in strikeouts in the game with nine. A strong start fell apart quickly when Kehlenbrink gave up two singles, two doubles and walked a batter in the sixth without recording an out. This brought it to a one-run game.

The Tigers went to left-hander Isaiah Salas with the bases-loaded and no outs in frame six. He allowed everyone to move up a station on a bloop single that tied the game. All four runs in that inning went on Kehlenbrink’s record.

Salas has a routine when he gets the ball back from the catcher. For a couple of seconds, this drawn-out routine led to NDSU designated hitter Noah Gordon stealing home and the lead. It was his first stolen base of the year and just the second of the junior’s career.

Lohse returned to the mound to close out the ninth and earned his second save of the day.

MU (10-2) will take the field against UIC Thursday at 6 p.m. in Columbia for Game 1 of a four-game set.