Mizzou Baseball Beats Illinois, Loses to Lindenwood

Missouri baseball (17-9, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) just wrapped up a two-game road trip against Illinois and Lindenwood. The Tigers split the trip, winning one game and losing the other, but not in the way many expected.

Missouri 5, Illinois 1

Missouri rebounded from a series loss to Tennessee by beating Illinois 5-1 Tuesday evening.

Four of Missouri's five runs were in the first inning, thanks to Ward's double and an Illinois error that each scored two runs.

PJ Green got the start on the mound, allowing one hit and no runs through three innings of action while throwing two strikeouts. However, it was junior Kyler Gonzales who picked up the win for the Tigers, earning the first win of his Missouri career by allowing four hits and throwing three strikeouts in 2.1 innings.

Kam Durnin, Pierre Seals, Blaize Ward and Keegan Knutson were the only Tigers to log a hit — Ward led the way with two RBIs.

Missouri had all the momentum in its corner for a one-game matchup against a below .500 Lindenwood squad before returning home, which they were primed for victory in.

Lindenwood 10, Missouri 4

Lindenwood, who entered the game at 10-13 on the season and fresh off being swept 3-0 by Eastern Illinois, smacked Missouri hard and upset the Tigers to escape St. Charles with a victory.

Both teams totaled nine hits, but Lindenwood capitalized on the on-base opportunities far more effectively than the Tigers. The Lions stole nine bases compared to the Tigers' one, led by Charlie Isom-McCall's three.

Luke Sullivan started on the mound for the Tigers, allowing five hits and three runs in 3.1 innings of action, picking up his second-consecutive loss and moving to 0-2 on the season. Missouri's batting wasn't particularly eye-popping either. Senior outfielder Cameron Benson led the charge with two hits, while seven other Tigers each logged one. Benson and Ward were the only Tigers to log RBIs.

Despite now holding a 3-7 record in its last 10 games, Missouri is in a much better spot than it was at this time last season. The Tigers won just 16 games in 2025, a mark that this seasons' squad tied with its win over Tennessee and surpassed with the victory over Illinois.

Missouri will now return home for a three-game series against No. 25 Texas A&M (19-5, 2-4) beginning Friday at 6 p.m.

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