Missouri defeated No. 2 Tennessee in a pair of seven-inning games Sunday at Taylor Stadium to sweep the home series. The Tigers recorded their first sweep against a Southeastern Conference opponent since 2019, when they swept South Carolina.
Game 1: Missouri 7, Tennessee 4
Missouri (16-3, 3-0 SEC) got out to a hot start in Game 1 with three runs in the first inning. Junior Ross Lovich hit an RBI single to bring fifth-year senior Luke Mann home. Freshman Dalton Bargo followed with a two-run homer.
The Tigers continued to extend their lead in the bottom of the third. Junior Trevor Austin singled to center field to score Mann. Tennessee pitcher Chase Burns was called for a balk, allowing Lovich to score from third. Volunteers coach — and former Missouri assistant — Tony Vitello was ejected from the game after arguing with the call on the balk.
Junior Dylan Leach hit a home run to begin the bottom of the fourth. Austin also singled to right field to drive Lovich home in the fifth inning, making the score 6-1.
“We did an outstanding job offensively,” MU coach Steve Bieser said. “Our hitting was consistent all weekend long, and we did what we needed to do.”
Bargo and Austin were the hitting leaders for the Tigers in the first game, recording two hits and two RBI each for Missouri.
Left-hander Ian Lohse started on the mound for the Tigers. He struck out four batters and allowed two hits in two innings of work.
Zach Franklin relieved Lohse and earned his fourth win of the season in the contest. The right-hander recorded six strikeouts and gave up four runs — including a two-run homer from Tennessee’s Zane Denton in the seventh — in five innings.
Game 2: Missouri 7, Tennessee 1
Missouri held the Vols to one hit to secure the series sweep with a 7-1 victory.
Right-hander Austin Troesser allowed no hits in 4⅔ innings on the mound. He recorded seven strikeouts and only walked one batter with one earned run. Tennessee’s only hit of the second game came in the fifth on an RBI single from Hunter Ensley.
The third inning set the pace for Missouri’s offense. Austin hit an RBI single to drive sophomore Justin Colon home. Senior catcher Tre Morris reached first base on an error, leading Mann to score an unearned run. Fifth-year senior Cam Chick followed with a two-run double to right center to score Austin and Bargo, extending the Tigers’ lead to 4-0.
Colon and Chick each recorded an RBI to help Missouri pull away. Colon hit an RBI single in the fourth, and Chick singled to score Morris in the fifth, making the score 6-1.
Fifth-year senior Rorik Maltrud closed out the game for the Tigers. The right-hander recorded three strikeouts and didn’t allow a single hit in 1⅓ innings.
“Our pitching staff does a great job preparing our pitchers for every game,” Bieser said. “They have a great game plan, and they go out and execute it every single time.”
Missouri will look to extend its five-game winning streak when it takes on Border War rival Kansas at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.