Missouri baseball opened its weekend series with a statement Friday night, defeating No. 22 Tennessee 8-4 in Knoxville, Tennessee, for its first SEC win of the season.
The Tigers (16-6, 1-3 SEC) broke a scoreless tie in the third inning and never trailed, using timely hitting plus late insurance runs to hold off the Volunteers.
After both offense were quiet early, Missouri struck in the third. Jase Woita drove in Tyler Macon with an RBI double off the right-center field wall before Pierre Seals followed with a two-run homer to put the Tigers ahead 3-0.
Tennessee (15-7, 1-3 SEC) responded with a solo home run from Stone Lawless in the fourth, but Missouri answered again in the fifth. With the bases loaded, Blaize Ward lined a two-run single up the middle, extending the lead to 5-1. Ward led the way with three hits including a double while adding the 2 RBI mentioned above.
The Volunteers chipped away in the sixth with two runs, but Missouri delivered the decisive blow in the seventh. After a walk and a single, Keegan Knutson launched a three-run home run to push the Tigers’ lead to 8-3.
Tennessee added a solo homer from Blaine Brown in the bottom of the seventh, but could not complete the comeback.
Missouri’s pitching staff held firm late despite a bases-loaded threat in the ninth. The Tigers turned to multiple relievers before Sam Rosand recorded the final out with a strikeout to secure the win.
Javyn Pimental impressed as the starter on the mound, pitching the first four innings. He finished with one run allowed on four hits while striking out a pair. JD Dohrmann was credited with the win after pitching the next 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs and five hits. He helped limit the damage with five strikeouts in the outing.
Missouri will look to win its first SEC series since sweeping Texas A&M last season. The Tigers face the Volunteers again at 5 p.m. on Saturday.