Mizzou Baseball drops doubleheader, swept by Oklahoma

Missouri baseball faces Oklahoma on Friday, April 18, 2025 at Taylor Stadium in Columbia. (MICHAEL BANIEWICZ/ROCK M)

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Mizzou Baseball lost both ends of its doubleheader against top-25 Oklahoma in run-rule games Friday, completing the Sooners’ series sweep. The Tigers remain winless in SEC play.

GAME ONE

Mizzou dropped the day’s first game to Oklahoma in a 17-7 run-rule that lasted eight innings, clinching the series win for the Sooners.

OU scored four runs in each of the third and fourth innings to seize an 8-0 advantage.

Easton Carmichael put the visitors on the board with a three-run home run to left-center in the top of the third, followed two at-bats later by Jason Walk’s solo shot to right field.

Jaxon Willits extended Okahoma’s lead the next inning with a two-run double to left, making it 6-0.

The Sooners scored two more runs in the fourth courtesy of a wild pitch by Kaden Jacobi and sacrifice fly by Carmichael.

Jacobi’s outing for the Tigers ended after the fourth inning. He allowed nine hits and eight earned runs alongside two walks with four strikeouts in his four frames on the mound.

“When it’s good, it’s good,” head coach Kerrick Jackson said of Jacobi’s stuff. “But when it’s not, it’s kind of a powder keg situation. When is it going to go bad on us?”

Kaden Peer gave Mizzou its first runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth, hitting a two-run home run to right field one at-bat after Jackson Lovich’s leadoff walk to make it 8-2.

Oklahoma scored another run in the top of the sixth, 9-2, but the Tigers responded with two more scores in the inning’s bottom half.

Lovich led off with a double to left field, eventually scoring on a groundout by Pierre Seals. Brock Daniels brought around a second run two at-bats later, scoring Peer with a single up the middle to cut the deficit to five.

Mizzou’s final two runs came in the bottom of the seventh on a single by Peer and another groundout by Seals, bringing the team’s tally to six.

But Kerrick Jackson had effectively waved the white flag by that point as Victor Christal, Cayden Nicoletto and Jaylen Merchant pitched the final three innings.

Those three pitchers previously combined to throw seven innings on the season. The Tigers predictably allowed nine runs in the final three frames, including six in the top of the eighth to push the game into run-rule territory.

Jackson said the team’s injuries have greatly limited their options out of the bullpen, to the point that they are unable to fill a 30-man roster for SEC games.

“We have some guys that are out there in roles that they’re not supposed to be in,” Jackson said, “but unfortunately at this point, that’s where we’re at.”

Mizzou scored one final run in the bottom of the eighth on Daniels’ solo home run to center field, but Jackson Kircher sealed the game for the Sooners.

GAME TWO

Oklahoma sealed the sweep in convincing fashion with a 10-1 win.

The Sooners jumped on Tigers starter Tony Neubeck’s stuff from the very beginning as Carmichael hit a three-run homer to left field three at-bats into the game. Kyle Branch hit a solo shot to center field later in the inning, making it 4-0 after the top of the first.

Mizzou responded with a run in the bottom half on a single up the middle by Seals, plating Lovich and putting runners on first and second, 4-1. But Chris Patterson grounded into a double play the next at-bat, ending a potential rally.

OU picked up right where it left off in the top of the second.

Drew Dickerson led off with a monster home run to left field that cleared the scoreboard, returning the visitors’ lead to four runs. Sam Christiansen extended the Sooners’ advantage later in the half with a three-run bomb to right field, putting them ahead by seven.

Neubeck gave up hard contact consistently throughout his 1.2 innings on the mound, allowing five hits and eight earned runs alongside two walks and a strikeout. It’s been a rough start to the season for the junior, who returned to competition earlier this month after over two years recovering from an injury.

“He’s a guy that we know he’s going to throw strikes, you know he’s going to compete for us,” Jackson said. “And so we’re trying to get him caught up to maybe where as we get to the end of the year, maybe the velo ticks back up, maybe he’s feeling more settled in and comfortable, and then he can be a force for us.”

Xavier Lovett entered in relief and put together a few solid innings of work, keeping the visitors scoreless in the third.

But the Tigers’ defense missed two opportunities to turn double plays in the top of the fourth, resulting in another Oklahoma run on a fielders’ choice, 9-1.

And the Sooners reached double digits the next inning when Willits tripled down the right field line, scoring Trey Gambill to give the team a 10-1 advantage.

Oklahoma scored the final run it needed for a run-rule after Ben Smith replaced Lovett to begin the seventh, scoring Dawson Willis on a double to right field by Gambill to take a 10-run lead.

Willits brought home Gambill the next at-bat with a line drive to right, 12-1, to give the visitors a slight cushion in the bottom half.

They didn’t need it, as Jason Bodin threw his second straight scoreless inning to wrap up the series finale for the Sooners. Oklahoma’s pitchers held Mizzou hitless over the game’s final four innings and limited the Tigers offense to three hits.

TAKEAWAYS

Brock Daniels went 2-4 with a run and two RBI in the day’s first game, a major step in the right direction for the junior. He started out the year hot but had cooled off, and taken a step back in playing time recently.

Despite Mizzou’s season-long struggles, it has rarely felt like this team lacked energy. That wasn’t the case in game two, when the game’s outcome seemed to already be determined after the first two innings.

The Tigers will need to re-find their energy and some momentum if they want to break through and end their record losing streak to begin SEC play.

UP NEXT

Mizzou will have a strong opportunity to get that much-needed spark Tuesday when they travel to Springfield for the second end of the team’s home-and-home with Missouri State.

Kerrick Jackson confirmed in the postgame press conference that Sam Horn will make his season debut in that game, making his first appearance since 2023. Horn is not only a competitor for the starting quarterback position on the football team, he’s also baseball’s most talented arm and has big leagues potential.

The team will also get Josh McDevitt, one of the stars of fall ball and a prime breakout candidate, back Tuesday as well.

The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN+.