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Tigers Take Control: Mizzou Sweeps Series Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff

High fives are in order for Eric Maisonet after the Tigers took down Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a 5-1 game on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in Columbia, Mo. | Courtesy of Mizzou Athletics

The Missouri Tigers are coming in hot with a five game winning streak and have claimed 111 runs in nine games. After a dominant 15-1, run-rule victory in the home opener, the Tigers followed it up with another clutch performance to secure the series sweep, and improved to a 7-2 record on the season. They are sending the fans a clear message: this lineup and pitching staff is ready for anything. 

Game 1 Remarks 

Tuesday’s opener was a display of offensive firepower and a standout pitching game. After a slow start, the Tigers woke up in the third inning and sent 11 batters to the plate. Freshman Blaize Ward started the inning up with a double to center, followed by Isaiah Frost’s single to left. Bases-loaded walks from Pierre Seals and Sam Parker brought the first runs home, and Serna extended with an RBI groundout. Chris Patterson and Eric Maisonet knocked up hits as well which gave Missouri a 5-1 advantage. 

In the fifth, Serna launched a 407-foot homer and the sixth inning was quite a show. Serna had a two-run single and James Woita hit a three-run blast. Tyler Macon had a two-RBI single, which made the score 15-1. 

Stellar Pitching Performance

On the mound, Dohrmann allowed just one hit. His performance extended Missouri’s streak of starting pitchers going at least five innings to open the season to eight straight games. Dane Bjorn finished the game as a reliever and threw a clean seventh inning with a strikeout to close out the first game against Pine Bluff. 

Game 2 Success

The second game of the series was a whole different game. Freshman Luke Sullivan, who relieved during the New Haven series, had his first collegiate start and quickly proved his depth on the mound. Through the first three innings, he allowed just one hit with three strikeouts. By the fourth and fifth innings, Sullivan took command, adding two more strikeouts and kept Pine Bluff off the board. 

Highlight of Game 2

Missouri’s offense finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Frost broke Medellin’s no-hitter in the bottom of the sixth and lined the Tigers’ first hit of the afternoon to the right side of the infield. Tyler Macon added to the inning with a hit down the right field line, moving Frost to third base with Mizzou runners on the corners.

Soon after, Cameron Benson drew a walk to load the bases. Even after Sam Parker struck out, this inning was far from over. Serna launched a 341-foot grand slam to left field for the Tigers which brought their lead to 4-1 and completely changed the game. This was his second home run of the series. 

Frost got his second hit of the day for the Tigers and Macon laid down a bunt, which safely moved Frost to second. Seals followed with a walk, and loaded the bases up for the Tigers. Serna grounded out, but it was just enough to bring Frost home and stretched the lead to 5-1. 

Notable Relievers

The Tigers’ pitching staff did not go unnoticed. Jackson Sobel came in for his second appearance and battled through a tense sixth inning. He recorded a huge strikeout after a wild pitch, but allowed the lone run to make it 4-1. 

During the top of the seventh, former shortstop Trey Lawrence picked up his first strikeout. Sam Rosand struck a batter out in the eighth, but with bases loaded, a new pitcher was needed. 

The Closer We Needed

Left-handed Ian Lohse came in to relieve Rosand in the bottom of the eight with two outs and runners on all bases. Lohse managed to strike out the batter to save the inning and allow no runners to score. Lohse closed out the top of the ninth in style. 

Macon caught a ball in center for the first out, followed by a sharp strikeout from Lohse for number two. Then, with the count full at 3‑2, Lohse took charge of the final batter, and secured the series win against Pine Bluff for the Tigers 5-1.  

Defense That Cannot Be Stopped

Missouri’s defense proved a steady backbone for the Tigers throughout this series win. The team recorded 21 putouts and 12, and committed just one error for a .971 fielding percentage. Mizzou had heads up moments from Blaize Ward and Eric Maisonet, which included a key tag at second, which helped keep Dohrmann’s day on a roll. 

On day two, the defense was just as reliable. They finished with a 1.000 fielding percentage, 27 putouts and 2 assists. The pitching defense was substantially strong as pitchers were aggressive with runners on base and managed two key strikeouts when needed. Missouri also threw out a runner at second, which limited the Lions’ chances to put pressure on the bases. 

Offensive Takeaways

Day one of the series the Tigers scored 15 runs on eight hits and drew 12 walks. They only struck out six times in 26 at-bats. Mizzou capitalized on every opportunity and had 13 RBIs, spreading the scoring across all nine lineup spots. They also managed to trigger the run-rule victory during four of their games.

Day two focused more on situational hitting. The Tigers collected five hits in 29 at-bats (.172), but came through when needed. With two outs, Mizzou went 1-for-9 but drove in four RBIs, showing their ability to perform under pressure. 

When runners were on base, the Tigers hit .333 (3-for-9) and moved five of eleven runners to better scoring positions. While the Tigers struggled against left-handed pitching on both days, going 0-for-7 on Day 2 and 3-for-19 vs. LHP on Day 1, their overall production caused them to take on huge leads against Pine Bluff. 

Statistics: https://mutigers.com/sports/baseball/stats/2026/arkansas-pine-bluff/boxscore/33826https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=652901 

Mizzou Batting Leaders

Macon leads the batting leaderboard with a blazing .556 average, setting the pace for the Tigers. Frost is close behind at .550, while Eric Maisonet holds third with a strong .400. Jase Woita holds the lead in home runs with three, while Serna has two. Macon is making plays on the bases as well, leading the team with four stolen bases.

Statistics: https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/mutigers.com/stats/baseball/2026/pdf/cume.pdf 

Current Pitching Leaders 

On the mound, Dohrmann has been lights-out, leading the staff with a stellar 1.64 ERA. Right behind him, Javyn Pimental and Josh McDevitt are keeping the pressure on, each posting an impressive 1.80 ERA to rank second and third overall. Lohse is in four with an ERA of 1.93. 

Statistics: https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/mutigers.com/stats/baseball/2026/pdf/cume.pdf 

What’s to Come 

The Tigers are set to face-off against North Dakota State, with their current record of 1-7. Currently, they are 0-6 during away games, so the Tigers will have to take that into consideration. Caleb Corbin for NDSU has the highest batting average at .407. On the pitching side, Braden Gluth sits with an ERA of 1.94. 

Statistics: https://gobison.com/sports/baseball/stats/2026 

Their three-game series will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, at home in Taylor Stadium. The home series will continue during the weekend, where the games will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

To follow along and read more about Mizzou Baseball, follow @Rock MNation, @SophBleedsLA and @Henry_C81, on twitter/x.

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