March 22, 2008
Box Score
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- No. 4 Missouri scored three runs in the first two innings, and No. 14 Baylor managed only one hit on the day as the Tigers defeated the Bears 3-0 in Saturday afternoon's Big 12 Conference game at Taylor Stadium. Following its 7-0 win in Friday night's series opener, Missouri (17-2, 2-0) has clinched the series victory. Baylor (13-6, 2-3) suffered consecutive shutouts in Big 12 play for the first time in the league's 12-year history.
Prior to this weekend, Baylor had been shutout only twice in 304 regular-season Big 12 games. The Bears' only other shutouts were a 2-0 loss at home to Oklahoma State in 1998 and a 7-0 loss at Missouri in 2006.
Missouri got two runs on four singles in the first inning. Jacob Priday and Aaron Senne provided the third and fourth singles in the inning, each scoring a run. The Tigers added an unearned run in the second; Kyle Mach reached on a one-out error, moved to second on Lee Fischer's sacrifice bunt and scored on Greg Folgia's two-out RBI double.
That was all the run support Missouri starter Ian Berger (3-0) needed; he held Baylor scoreless on one hit and three walks with eight strikeouts over 7.0 innings. Nick Tepesch pitched the eighth and ninth innings perfectly with one strikeout for his third save of the season.
Baylor starter Shawn Tolleson (2-1) suffered the tough-luck loss; he allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 7.0 innings. Tim Matthews retired the side in order in the eighth with one strikeout.
Shaver Hansen provided Baylor's lone hit on the day, a one-out double in the first. The Bears managed only three more base runners on the day - Adam Hornung's two-out walk in the fourth, Ben Booker's one-out walk in the sixth and Dustin Dickerson's one-out walk in the seventh. Dickerson saw his career-long 11-game hitting streak end, while Hornung's four-game streak also ended.
Baylor and Missouri conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m. CDT. The Bears send right-hander Willie Kempf (3-0, 3.47 ERA) to the mound. The Tigers counter with right-hander Kyle Gibson (4-0, 2.30 ERA).
NOTES: Baylor leads the all-time series 25-21, including a 23-21 edge during head coach Steve Smith's tenure. Missouri holds a 9-8 edge in games played at Columbia, winning four of the last five at Taylor Stadium. The Tigers lead the series 18-17 in regular-season Big 12 meetings, winning eight of the last 11. Missouri has won the last four series and five of the last six.
