COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri baseball team turned in a strong effort on the mound Saturday evening, but it wasn’t enough to fend off a late surge from No. 9 Georgia, who rallied for a 5-2 win at Taylor Stadium to clinch the Southeastern Conference series.D
espite six and one-third combined hitless innings from Mizzou pitchers Sam Horn and Brock Lucas, the Tigers (13-33, 0-23 SEC) were unable to hold on to their early advantage. Georgia (38-11, 14-9 SEC) capitalized on timely hitting and a four-run sixth inning to seize control and notch their second consecutive victory in the weekend set.
Horn, making his first home start as a Tiger, was stellar through three innings. The right-hander struck out a career-high five batters and didn’t allow a hit, working out of trouble in each frame. He stranded a pair of runners in the first with back-to-back strikeouts and worked around leadoff baserunners in both the second and third innings, ending his outing with just one walk and two hit batsmen.
Mizzou struck first in the bottom of the first inning. After two quick outs, Kaden Peer ignited the offense with a single, followed by a two-run home run from Cayden Nicoletto to right-center field. The blast gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead and marked their only scoring of the night.
Georgia’s offense found life in the fifth inning. Nolan McCarthy and Robbie Burnett delivered back-to-back doubles to cut the lead to 2-1. One inning later, Tre Phelps drew a leadoff walk, and Daniel Jackson belted a go-ahead two-run homer off Tony Neubeck (0-3), flipping the game in Georgia’s favor.
The Bulldogs weren’t done. A combination of walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases, allowing Burnett and Cade Brown to draw free passes and bring in two more runs, stretching the lead to 5-2.
Lucas took over from there and was dominant in relief. He recorded the final out of the sixth and went on to retire all 10 batters he faced, five via strikeout, to give Missouri a chance to claw back. His 3.1 scoreless, perfect innings provided a spark, but Mizzou’s bats couldn’t respond.
Georgia starter Kolten Smith (4-2) turned in a solid outing of his own, striking out seven and allowing just two runs on two hits over five-plus innings. The Bulldogs’ bullpen was lights out from there, with Alton Davis II, JT Quinn, and Zach Harris combining to throw four shutout innings, striking out seven and yielding only two hits.
Peer was the lone bright spot for the Missouri offense, collecting two of the team’s four hits. However, Georgia’s pitching held Mizzou in check, allowing only four of the final 28 Tiger batters to reach base.
With the series win secured, Georgia heads into Sunday looking for a sweep, while Missouri aims to snap its SEC losing streak and end the weekend on a high note.
