Missouri drops SEC Tournament opener against No. 23 Ole Miss

It was a pitchers’ duel on Tuesday afternoon in Hoover, Alabama. Seven hits by the Missouri offense resulted in just one run, as No. 7 seed Ole Miss (34-23, 17-14 SEC) outlasted the tenth-seeded Tigers 2-1 to advance and eliminate Missouri from the 2019 Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The loss put the Tigers at 34-22-1 (13-17-1 SEC) – right on the bubble for a postseason regional bid. A win would’ve guaranteed the club a spot in the bracket. Now, the team will wait for its fate to be revealed in the NCAA Selection Show at 11 a.m. Monday on ESPNU.

Stranded runners were the big issue for Missouri on Tuesday, as the group struggled to capitalize on opportunities and get runs across. Thomas Broyles paced the offense, going 2-for-4 with a double and a single, while Austin James notched a double of his own.

Chris Cornelius, Kameron Misner, Peter Zimmermann and Paul Gomez recorded one single apiece. On the mound, the No. 23 Rebels’ Will Ethridge allowed seven hits but just one run, while tallying six strikeouts and no walks in seven innings pitched.

In his second start and 23rd appearance this season, Konnor Ash was impressive on the rubber despite a lack of experience in the starting role. The sophomore gave up just three hits, three walks and no runs, while notching three Ks in four innings.

Jacob Cantleberry entered in the fifth and wasn’t quite as successful. The lefty allowed five hits, two runs and a walk in two innings pitched, ultimately recording the loss. In the final two frames, Ian Bedell kept the Rebels from extending their lead, giving up just two hits and no walks.

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The Tigers took the lead in the second inning with back-to-back doubles. Broyles raked one to center field, and James followed with one down the left field line to score him, giving Missouri its only run of the day.

The Tigers had a chance to strike again in the top of the fifth, as Broyles roped one to left and Cornelius knocked a two-out single to put runners on first and second for Misner. But the lefty struck out to end the frame, and the Rebels took hold of the momentum shortly thereafter.

Following Missouri taking the lead, Ole Miss roped consecutive doubles to earn its first run of the day, and the offense kept things going with an RBI single. A double play to end the inning prevented further damage, but not before the Rebels took what would be the game-winning 2-1 lead.

Missouri gave itself one final chance in the top of the ninth. Zimmermann led off and was hit by a pitch, and the speedy Josh Holt Jr. entered to pinch run. The Rebels then notched two outs with a fly out and a pop out, but Gomez drew a walk on four pitches to put two on for Broyles. The sophomore couldn’t pull through though, striking out looking to end the game.