Runs elusive as MU continues to struggle

In the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday, Missouri’s Jacob Priday drilled his 45th hit of the season deep to left field. The single extended his hitting streak to 14 games, which is the longest on the team and a career best for Priday.

The hit also spurred a crowd reaction. Fans in the bleachers chanted “Let’s go Priday, let’s go Priday.” The spectators were eager to see the Tigers overcome a three-run deficit and stomped on the bleachers for emphasis. Metallic clanging filled Taylor Stadium.

That energy diffused when the metallic sound of Derek Chambers’ aluminum bat sent a ball to second base and spurred a double play. Another inning ended.

The Missouri baseball team’s roller coaster season continued Saturday with a 4-0 loss to Oklahoma State.

“Every game for us is a must-win, we have to win every game,” Priday said. “I didn’t think we’d be here right now, but we are, and we have to deal with it.”

The Tigers were on the verge of leaping from a midseason slump that dropped them as low as eighth in the Big 12 Conference standings. Saturday’s loss interrupted a two-game winnning streak that had moved them up to fifth. Friday night’s series opener exhibited an invigorated Missouri squad slugging its way to a 9-2 win over the Cowboys with 10 hits. That batting was absent Saturday. Missouri (18-19 overall, 7-10 Big 12) dropped below .500 for the second time. The Tigers fell to 16-17 on April 15 after a loss at Oklahoma.

Saturday’s game was OSU’s first Big 12 victory on the road. In a breakout performance, Brae Wright pitched a complete-game for the Cowboys.

Despite Missouri’s difficulties so far, coach Tim Jamieson said the team can still fulfill some of its preseason expectations.

“As crazy as it sounds, for us to finish third or fourth in the league is not out of the realm of possibilities,” Jamieson said.

Wright can definitely relate to MU’s recent troubles considering OSU’s (23-13, 6-8) difficulty on the road.

“It’s one of those things that kind of wears on you as a team,” Wright said. “It becomes a mental thing. Inside conference, just about everybody is neck-and-neck.”

Oklahoma State scored two runs off singles in the first inning. They scored again in the third when Ty Wright hit a home run, and Matt Clarkson hit another home run in the ninth. The Cowboys lead the Big 12 with 56 home runs as a team.

When Brae Wright stepped to the mound in the bottom of the first, he had a two-run lead. But he said it didn’t make his job any easier.

“It’s always good to know your offense is going to come out and score some runs,” he said. “It loosens the pressure on you a bit. But with a two-run lead, they’re one swing away from getting back in the game. You still have to pitch at the same intensity.”

Wright threw 100 pitches, while MU’s starting pitcher Aaron Crow threw 98 in seven innings. Jamieson said that Wright’s performance displayed how one pitcher can control a game.

That control was evident in OSU out-hitting MU 12-5. Regardless, Priday said hitting was not Missouri’s problem.

“Today was a huge loss for us because where we stand in conference right now,” Priday said. “But it doesn’t matter if we hit, we just need to come out and score runs.”