No. 2 Arkansas Sweeps Doubleheader against Mizzou Baseball

With uncooperative weather during the weekend that the Missouri Tigers played the No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks, it left the two teams playing a doubleheader on Sunday with two seven-inning games.

When there are shortened games, there tends to be a lot of curiosity of what could happen if the teams played a full nine innings. This was not needed in either game with the Razorbacks and Tigers.

The Tigers managed to take the lead in the early innings of both games, but it was very short-lived

For the first game, a seven-run fourth doomed any hopes of the team getting back into that game. The offense was only able to tag on four runs, mostly through odd mishaps and small ball. Mizzou never seemed comfortable at the plate in their 14-4 loss.

For the second game, the lead only lasted for the first half of the first inning. Mizzou had Tony Neubeck take the mound to start the game and he gave up a three-run homer in the bottom half of the first. He gave up five runs and only made it through two outs before he was pulled.

Pitching still remained the Tigers main problem in the games. Despite starting the first game, Left-hander Brady Kehlenbrink had the second shortest outing in that loss. He went just 1 1/3 innings and gave up four runs.

That title was given to reliever Brock Lucas, who went two innings and was given the loss for that game. Lucas concluded his outing by giving up a grand slam. This was paired with four other runs that crossed during his stint on the mound.

By the end of the second inning of the second game, Mizzou was already in a hole. They were down six runs and already through two pitchers. The top of the third saw the second grand slam of the day, this one on a pitch from reliever PJ Green. Green had one of the Tigers' best ERAs coming into the series against the Razorbacks.

The Tigers gave up double-digit runs in each of their games against Arkansas, while only scoring nine runs themselves. The pitching staff allowed 17 free passes in the doubleheader, on 15 walks and two hit-by-pitches.

Right-hand reliever Xavier Lovett was the best arm of the day for the Tigers. He went out for 3 2/3 innings and put up zeros in all but the last one, where he allowed two. He concluded that game with 82 pitches in the 16-2 loss in game 2 of the doubleheader. Reliever Cayden Nicoletto had to come in to get the final out of the game.

Mizzou was out of one of their key offensive contributors in the series. Usual starting shortstop Jackson Lovich was injured in the ninth inning of game two against UAPB in the Tigers' midweek.

Keegan Knutson took over at shortstop for the Tigers and was a pest in the lineup against the Razorbacks. He continually brought the energy with cheering on a walk, hit or any accomplishment. He scored two runs in the first game with a hit and a walk. In the second game, Knutson got right back to it and was both the runs that scored.

The Tigers remain winless in conference play, going 0-12 so far. They will take a break from conference play to take on SIUE on the road and then will travel to Gainesville, Florida to take on the Gators for their weekend series.