Mizzou Baseball dismantled by Arkansas

The Tigers lost all three games by 10+ runs

Mizzou Baseball remains winless 12 games into SEC play, losing all three matchups against Arkansas this weekend in Fayetteville.

The losing streak, which was already the longest to begin conference play in program history after getting swept by Texas two weeks ago, was extended with three double-digit losses to the second-ranked Razorbacks in Fayetteville.

SATURDAY

The Tigers’ pitchers allowed the most runs of the season in the series opener, falling to Arkansas 21-3 in seven innings.

Mizzou starter Kaden Jacobi got into trouble early, walking two batters and hitting two more in the bottom of the first to put the Razorbacks ahead 2-0.

But after a scoreless second, the Tigers evened the score with two runs in the top of the third inning.

Yadi Hernandez hit a double to left center with one out, and after a Peyton Basler walk he was brought home on another two-bagger by Keegan Knutson. Basler scored one at-bat later on a groundout by Kaden Peer, knotting the score 2-2.

The Razorbacks struck quickly to retake the lead in the inning’s bottom half, though, as Logan Maxwell led off with a solo home run to right field. Singles by Brent Iredale and Cam Kozeal set the stage for Ryder Helfrick, who doubled down the left field line to bring home Iredale and extend the lead to 4-2.

But the wheels really fell off in the fourth inning.

After allowing a leadoff walk to Wehiwa Aloy, Jacobi recorded back-to-back strikeouts. Iredale then sparked a two-out rally, hitting a two-run homer to left-center to extend the Arkansas lead to four runs.

Jacobi allowed consecutive singles after the longball and was pulled from the game for Ben Smith, who allowed back-to-back singles which scored three more runs, 9-2.

Mizzou mustered one more run in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Knutson, 9-3, but the Razorbacks responded with five more runs in the bottom of the fifth for an 11-run advantage.

By this point, head coach Kerrick Jackson was reaching deep into his bullpen. Cayden Nicoletto, who has regularly appeared in the lineup as a hitter and had 1.1 innings on the year, and Jaylen Merchant, who had two prior appearances on the season, pitched in the fifth and sixth.

Merchant began the sixth and did not record an out, being replaced by Kadden Drew – who walked two batters, hit one, and recorded one out before being replaced by Seth McCartney.

The Tigers went down quietly in the top of the seventh after allowing seven runs in the bottom of the sixth.

SUNDAY

After a rainout on Friday, the teams played two games on Sunday. Mizzou lost the first matchup 14-4, starting out strong but falling way behind in the fourth inning.

The Tigers scored two runs in the opening frame. Knutson led off with a single to left, advancing to third base the next at-bat after an error on Kaden Peer’s ground ball to second.

Cameron Benson, who has been missing from the lineup for multiple weeks due to injury, announced his return by driving in Knutson with a single to left and giving Kerrick Jackson’s squad the 1-0 lead.

Cayden Nicoletto knocked home Peer with a single to right field two at-bats later for the team’s second run.

True freshman Brady Kehlenbrink ran into some early trouble, allowing a run in the bottom half of the first before stranding two runners in scoring position with a strikeout.

The struggles continued in the second as he allowed a three-run home run to right field by Charles Davalan, putting Arkansas ahead 4-2.

Brock Lucas entered in relief and limited the damage, allowing the Tigers to tie the game back up in the top of the third.

Knutson led off with a single, then advanced to third the next at-bat on a single by Peer. He scored soon after on a throwing error by the catcher, Helfrick, which also advanced Peer to third.

Peer scored two at-bats later on a groundout by Mateo Serna, making it 4-4.

The Razorbacks immediately responded, stringing together four consecutive hits to begin the bottom of the third and take a two-run lead.

After getting back on track late in that frame, Brock Lucas’ outing completely derailed in the bottom of the fourth as Mizzou allowed seven runs.

He allowed three walks and two hits, putting two more runs on the board and loading the bases, before Davalan ended Lucas’ day with a grand slam to right-center. The homer made the lead 12-4 and put the game out of the Tigers’ reach.

Arkansas scored one more run after James Vaughn entered the game in relief during the frame, and a single by Kozeal in the bottom of the sixth scored the run the hosts needed for a double-digit lead.

The Razorbacks ended the doubleheader’s first game with a run-rule victory in seven innings.

Arkansas picked up right where it left off to begin the final game, scoring five runs in the opening inning during a 16-2 victory.

Tony Neubeck, who made his return from injury Wednesday after more than two years away from competition, started the game for the Tigers.

Though Mizzou put together a strong rally in the first, scoring a run and stranding two runners to generate early momentum on offense, Arkansas immediately pounced on a pitcher that is still getting back up to speed.

The Razorbacks scored their five runs on a two-run Kuhio Aloy double down the left field line and Carson Boles three-run homer to left-center two at-bats later.

Arkansas put two more runs on the board in the second as P.J. Green, who had been missing from action since a relief appearance against Texas, replaced Neubeck.

Jackson’s squad put a second run on the board in the top of the third on a single to right field by Peer. But Green showed that he was also shaking off the rust, allowing five more runs in the bottom of the third inning.

Those runs were punctuated by a grand slam to right field by Kozeal, making the score 12-2 and again putting the game out of reach early.

Xavier Lovett entered for Green and reined in the Razorbacks offense, holding it scoreless for three innings, before being tagged with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Peer ended a miserable weekend for the Tigers with a groundout to the pitcher, Carson Wiggins, which clinched the sweep for Arkansas.

Takeaways

Though Mizzou’s offense had a down week facing a Razorbacks pitching staff that ranks 10th in the nation in ERA, two newcomers continued making their case for regular playing time.

Keegan Knutson, the JUCO transfer, went 3-8 with four runs and two RBI, while true freshman Chris Patterson recorded three hits in nine at bats.

Patterson truly jumped into the infield mix only a few weeks ago against Texas and is now hitting .276 in 11 games this season with 11 RBI. Meanwhile, Knutson is now hitting .294 on the season with two home runs and 11 RBI in 18 starts.

Both are increasingly looking like key pieces of the offense for the next two years alongside the established core of Jackson Lovich, Daniels, Peer and Serna.

But as the team’s offense continues to find more starters that look like possible multi-year fixtures in the lineup, its pitching staff is beginning to run out of arms.

OVERALL OUTLOOK

The Tigers’ pitching continues, somewhat impossibly, to look bleaker and bleaker. Daniel Wissler made his return during a midweek series against UAPB but almost immediately left the game with an injury.

Ian Lohse has not been seen since leaving his outing early against Texas, Nic Smith has not made an appearance since the Ole Miss series, and the team has been without its ace Javyn Pimental all year long.

Tony Neubeck and P.J. Green returned, a promising start, but both will need time to get back up to speed. The team is also eagerly awaiting the return of Sam Horn as he ramps up in his throwing program after spring football.

Kadden Drew, Kaden Jacobi and Brock Lucas have all taken a significant step back against SEC competition after a promising start to the season. This leaves Jackson no choice but to use pitchers that began the season as break glass in case of emergency options.

And as I said after the Texas series, “The demand placed on the offense by the team’s pitching will also continue to build stress as the season goes on, making it more and more difficult for Jackson’s squad to produce the necessary runs to compensate for their other deficiencies.”

UP NEXT

Mizzou can earn its fourth-straight midweek win tonight as the team travels to the Metro East region of St. Louis to take on SIUE. First pitch is at 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.