COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday evening at Taylor Stadium to score a 7-6 victory over Missouri State thanks to a walk-off single by Dylan Leach.
The Bears (19-16) struck first in a back-and-forth game when Mason Hull doubled and scored on a dropped third strike wild pitch in the first, and Missouri (23-13) pulled even by scoring on a balk in the second.
Anthony Socci homered for the third time in his last four games for a 3-1 lead in the fourth, and Mizzou countered with a hit batter and back-to-back bombs in the bottom half for its first lead at 4-3.
Zack Stewart’s RBI single in the fifth tied it at 4-4, the Tigers capitalized on a leadoff error in the bottom half for 5-4, and Cody Kelly and Socci opened the sixth with consecutive doubles for a 5-5 tie with Socci driving in his career-best third run.
Kelly belted his 10th home run of the year in the eighth for a 6-5 lead, giving him four round-trippers in the last three games, while Miles Halligan was on the mound for 2.1 shutout innings to steady the ship for the Bears.
Garrett Ferguson (1-1) relieved Halligan in the eighth and got a strikeout with two runners on, and Will Duff collected his career-high-tying hit to open the ninth but was stranded on second as a potential insurance run.
The Tigers loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth with a walk, single and hit by pitch, scoring the tying run on a sac fly and winning on Leach’s single one batter later.
The Bears are back home Thursday-Saturday for a three-game set with Missouri Valley Conference newcomer Belmont. First pitch from Hammons Field each day is 11 a.m.
