Frey saves Tigers with late heroics

Evan Frey wasn’t even supposed to need to bat in the ninth inning Sunday afternoon.

After splitting a pair of close games with Kansas (16-17, 3-3) on Friday and Saturday, Missouri (22-8, 4-2) put up big numbers early in Sunday’s contest, opening an 8-0 lead after four innings. Had the game gone on like that, Frey could have called it a day after 8½ innings.

But coach Tim Jamieson is quick to remind Frey and the rest of the Tigers that no game is over until 27 outs have been recorded, especially during always-competitive Big 12 Conference play. And before Sunday’s came ended, that advice rang true twice.

After starter Greg Folgia strung together eight strike outs in his first 41/3 innings of scoreless work, the Jayhawks’ bats found a groove. Kansas scrapped together a string of productive innings starting in the fifth off Missouri pitchers Folgia, Brant Combs, Ryan Allen, Ryan Gargano and closer Kyle Gibson. What had been an 8-0 Missouri blowout turned into a 9-8 Kansas lead. Frey and the Tigers would need the bottom of the ninth after all.

And, two outs into the bottom half of the game’s final inning, it looked as though Kansas had secured its impressive comeback and stolen the weekend series.

But one two-out swing of Frey’s bat changed Missouri’s fortunes and proved Jamieson’s advice, again.

One day after hitting his first career home run, Frey blasted a two-run, walk-off shot off of Kansas reliever Paul Smyth, giving Missouri a 10-9 victory and 2-1 series win. Frey then took a run around the bases he will likely never forget.

“It was amazing,” he said after answering more than a few curtain calls from the elated fans that stuck around Taylor Stadium to savor the win. “That’s pretty much the only way I can describe it.”

“It’s 27 outs,” Jamieson said knowingly after the game. “No game is over. There’s never any situation where it is until you get 27.”