Late Runs Propel No. 9 Georgia to Series-Opening Win over Mizzou Baseball

Despite keeping a close game to start, the Tigers gave up four homers to put the game out of reach in the series opener.

Right hand reliever Josh McDevitt throws from the mound against the Kansas Jayhawks on April 29, 2025. | Mizzou Athletics

To start the game, the Missouri Tigers kept the game quite close. It still wasn't enough.

Mizzou continued their historic streak against the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs on Friday, moving to 0-22 in conference play. A three-run seventh and four-run ninth sealed the win for the bulldogs in a 9-2 affair.

Where Mizzou has struggled greatly on the pitching side, left-hand starter Brady Kehlenbrink delivered the best performance of his young career. He went a career-long 4 1/3 innings and gave up just one hit, a solo home run in the third. He still struggled with free bases, hitting three batters and giving up two walks. He also tied a career-high in strikeouts with six.

The second of Bulldogs runs came off another homer, just their second hit of the game. Reliever Josh McDevitt gave up the run to the lead-off man in the sixth inning, shortstop Kolby Branch. The Bulldogs tied Mizzou's hit total in the seventh with single to left to make it 3-0.

Georgia broke the game open with a three-run seventh inning. The ball was turned over to right-hand reliever Xavier Lovett. He went two innings and gave up four hits, three of them were paired with a walk in his first inning.

The Tigers were able to get more runners on base in the early innings, but weren't able to do much with it. In the fourth, Mizzou threatened to take the lead after a double from center fielder Kaden Peer and back-to-back hit-by-pitches loaded the bases, but catcher Mateo Serna flew out to the warning track to end the inning.

A black-and-gold run finally scored in the bottom of the eighth on a solo shot from right fielder Pierre Seals. It came on the second batter that new Georgia pitcher DJ Radtke faced. It was all for naught though, the Bulldogs tagged on four more runs in the ninth with a solo and three-run homer.

The Tigers loaded the bases once more in the bottom of the ninth and was able to bring a run across this time. It came on a sacrifice fly off the bat of shortstop Jackson Lovich.

Mizzou drops to 13-32 on the season and 0-22 in conference play, while Georgia improves to 37-11 and 13-9. The Tigers will play game two of the series against the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. on Saturday.