The Tigers were like a broken record this weekend.
In each of the three games of the series, Mizzou gave up seven runs in one inning to No. 25 Texas A&M. It came in the third inning in Game 1 and Game 3, the fourth inning in Game 2.
The final time, it brought Mizzou to a 14-3 run-rule loss to the Aggies in the seventh inning. This brought them a series sweep and pushed the Tigers to 17-12 overall, 1-8 in the Southeastern conference.
“Tough weekend on the pitching side of things,” Missouri coach Kerrick Jackson said. “We just need to regroup and get back on it and get ready for next week.”
A grand slam from Gavin Grahovac highlighted both the skill of the Aggies and the Tigers’ pitching woes. It was Grahovac’s second home run of the game and fourth in the last two games.
His other home run in the Sunday game? A three-run shot in the inning prior.
The grand slam was sandwiched between two other home runs in the inning, one from Blake Binderup and one from Caden Sorrell, his second of the series.
When Javyn Pimental went down with injury and wasn’t available Friday night, it shook up the entire rotation. The other two weekend starters for Mizzou moved up a day and the Sunday starter became a mystery. Even the night before the outing, Kerrick Jackson wasn’t 100% sure who would have the first pitch at 1 p.m.
Freshman JD Dohrmann, a usual midweek starter and likely candidate for Sunday, was listed as a “Game Time Decision” for the previous two games of the series. After checking with the athletic trainer and the pitcher, Jackson opted to let Dohrmann start. His outing was brief.
“I think he wanted to go out there and do it,” Jackson said postgame, “but we couldn’t continue to send him out there when he had below average stuff.”
Despite the injury hindering his ability on the mound, Dohrmann tossed one of the few scoreless innings for Mizzou before being relieved for another midweek starter, right-hander Luke Sullivan. Sullivan gave up four runs in the second and the two-run homer that began the seven-run inning. He was pulled after 1⅓ innings for veteran reliever Ian Lohse.
“Both (Dorhmann and Pimental) being down and having five games this week, we just needed guys to step up and fill some roles and get some outs,” Jackson said. “We just couldn’t do it.”
⅔ of an inning was all the Tigers got out of Lohse. He allowed five runs to cross in his time. This was the lowest point of the game for the pitching staff.
Reliever Trey Lawrence put two scoreless innings on the board, striking out three and giving up three hits in his time on the mound. His outing and Dohrmann’s lone inning were the pitching highlights.
Sam Rosand followed for the sixth and seventh, allowing three runs on three straight hits and a two-run homer to Jake Duer in the final inning.
With the wind blowing straight out at Taylor Stadium, seven home runs aided out of the park. Two came from Tigers hitters Kam Durnin and Jase Woita. The home runs brought in the only runs for Mizzou in the game.
The Tigers will return to Simmons Field at Taylor Stadium on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for a matchup against rival Kansas. Two weeks ago, the Jayhawks run-ruled the Tigers in Lawrence, Kansas.