Javyn Pimental had one of his best outings in a Tigers uniform. It was his first win at home since April 20, 2024, against LSU.
With the left-hander on the mound for the first time at home since May 4, 2024, Missouri baseball cruised to an 11-5 win to open the series against North Dakota State on Friday.
The veteran pitcher rolled through the Bison lineup until the end of his start. In his sixth and final inning, he walked the first two batters he faced and ran a full count against the third before inducing a flyout for the first out. Two outs later, he walked another batter.
The first run for the Bison scored on a single from the last batter Pimental faced.
March 23, 2024, was the last time Pimental exceeded five innings. It came in a start against Kentucky in which the lefty went six innings and allowed one run. The performance against NDSU was one out short of tying a career high in innings pitched, with his appearance concluding at 5 2/3 innings with two runs allowed.
“The sixth inning is really the only thing I’m thinking about right now because I didn’t finish it,” Pimental said. “But, I mean, it was a good outing.”
The Tigers got on the board early with two runs in the first inning off a double from second baseman Blaize Ward. They added another run in the third on an error.
“Tonight, I felt like I got some pitches to hit and I was able to square them up,” Ward said.
Ward had a three-hit day with the double in the first and singles in the fourth and seventh. He also stole a base following his second hit.
“(Ward) is the most consistent guy that we have,” Jackson said. “To see that as a freshman, we know that’s what our future is going to look like.”
Jase Woita lined a ball into the outfield that landed a few feet in front of the center fielder. The hit brought in Isaiah Frost and Cameron Benson, the latter of whom slid under the catcher’s glove to make the game 6-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Woita was quickly brought home by center fielder Tyler Macon’s second triple of the season for the seventh run of the game.
Four more runs were added in a troublesome seventh that saw two NDSU errors. After two singles and a walk, an error on a routine forceout allowed the first run of the inning to score. It was followed by a two-run single from Frost and an RBI single from Woita.
Freshman right-hander Eli Skidmore closed the sixth inning for Pimental. His outing began with a run scoring, but it was to no fault of Pimental or Skidmore. First baseman Sam Parker had trouble fielding the ball, giving the runner on third time to score.
Skidmore allowed another run on a sacrifice fly that followed three straight singles. He was followed out of the bullpen by left-hander Juan Villarreal in the eighth, who allowed two more runs to score. Both were ruled unearned after an error by Frost in the outfield.
The Tigers (8-2) will face the Bison in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday at Taylor Stadium. The second game of the twin bill will begin 45 minutes after the end of the first game. Right-hander Josh McDevitt will pitch Game 2 of the series, and left-hander Brady Kehlenbrink will have Game 3.