No. 18 Oklahoma Tags on Double-Digit Runs in Series-Opening Run-Rule Over Mizzou Baseball

The Tigers kept the game close in early innings, but a disastrous sixth inning saw the game head out of reach and a six-run eighth allowed the Sooners to run-rule. .

The Missouri Tigers Baseball team huddles together. | Mizzou Athletics

With their first home SEC matchup in nearly two weeks, the Missouri Tigers had some fight in them in hopes of their first conference win.

Mizzou had a tie in the fourth inning, but a new pitcher allowed the Oklahoma Sooners to break the game open in the sixth inning toward their 17-4 win over the Tigers in the eighth inning. It was a six-run eighth that tipped the scales to a run rule. This keeps Mizzou winless in conference play.

Catcher Jedier Hernandez was the difference maker in the first two innings that the Tigers scored. It was his at-bat that in the third that truly jumpstarted the offense. He fouled back 10 pitches in a plate appearance that saw 15 pitches and ended with a walk. He was followed by two singles, the second brought in the first run for the Tigers.

Hernandez followed that with a hit down the first base line that bounced off the glove of Oklahoma's right fielder and brought home two more for the Mizzou. This tied the game at that point.

The Missouri catcher has been in-and-out of the lineup, swapping with fellow catcher Mateo Serna. With Serna in a bit of a slump as of late, Hernandez was the choice against the Sooner, even being in a bit of a slump himself.

But he couldn't keep the offense going, as they went mostly quiet for the rest of the game. Just one run crossed after.

With most of their usual starting rotation still out with injury, the nod went to freshman righty Brady Kehlenbrink. He put up his longest outing of the year, going four innings and allowing three runs on three hits. The game went downhill when the ball was turned over to fellow right-hander Brock Lucas.

Lucas gave up six runs in his 1 1/3 inning and put the game out of reach fro the Tigers. One runner crossed in his first inning of work, but it was the five that came home with just one out being recorded in the sixth inning that resulted in Lucas being pulled.

With the bases loaded in the eighth, reliever Ben Smith walked in a run to put the Sooners within one of a run-rule. Oklahoma quickly reached that goal with a double and a single that plated four to make it 17-4.

The pitching continued to allow runs, with righty Seth McCartney giving up two in the seventh and one in the eighth to allowing Oklahoma to cross the double digit line.

Mizzou drops to 13-24 on the season and 0-16 in conference play, while Oklahoma improves to 27-10 and 8-8 in the SEC. The Tigers will finish their weekend series against Oklahoma with a doubleheader starting at noon at Taylor Stadium.