Pitcher shines in rare start for Missouri baseball team

Tyler Clark needed some work, and he needed some confidence.

The junior pitcher got both in the Missouri baseball team’s 10-2 victory against Eastern Illinois on Tuesday in O’Fallon.

Clark got off to a great start this season, but has struggled since Big 12 Conference play started. On April 3 against Baylor, Clark had the worst game of his career. He gave up eight hits and seven runs in just one inning of work.

Since that appearance, Clark has had difficulty getting batters out and has not been the same dependable reliever the Tigers had at the beginning of the season. Because of this, his appearances have been limited.

On Tuesday, Clark started for the second time in his career. He pitched a career-high five innings and struck out a career-high nine batters, allowing just one run. For a pitcher that is relied on for key strikeouts, blowing the ball past hitters is a good feeling.

The offense stayed hot for the Tigers (22-17), despite using wooden bats in the game. First baseman Aaron Senne hit his 11th home run of the season and third baseman Brett Nicholas had three hits.

Missouri starts a three-game series with Texas Tech at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Lubbock, Texas.