MU Baseball

The sudden-death round was added because of the expansion of the tournament field from 10 to 12 teams. The top four seeds receive a bye to the second round, where double-elimination play begins. Missouri is the No. 12 seed.

It wasn’t Rob Zastryzny's Senior Day, but Saturday still might have been his last game at Taylor Stadium. Zastryzny, who has been the Tigers’ top starter for the past three seasons, is eligible for the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft and, barring catastrophe, will likely be offered a six- or seven-figure contract to pitch professionally.

Friday night's results earned the Tigers the 12th and final spot in the Southeastern Conference tournament. Tennessee lost at home to Texas A&M just before Missouri rallied to beat visiting Kentucky 4-3.

Seniors Scott Sommerfeld and Brannon Champagne played key roles in the Tigers' 4-2 win Thursday over Kentucky.

This week in Missouri sports, the Missouri baseball and softball teams had different experiences at weekend series. The baseball team lost in a three-game series against Alabama. The Missouri softball team won against Arkansas, advancing the team to the semifinals, only to lose against Florida 10-4.

Missouri baseball committed four errors and gave up five unearned runs in its 7-6 loss to Alabama on Sunday.

The Tigers ended their five-game losing streak Saturday.

Alabama beat Missouri 9-7 Friday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Tigers gave up six straight hits and seven runs in the seventh inning of the game. Missouri scored five runs in the eighth inning but could not complete another rally in the 9th.

Missouri has suspended Gavin Stark indefinitely and spokesman Shawn Davis said the Athletics Department is still gathering details about the event. Stark, who started 17 games at first base for Missouri in 2012, has started four games this season.

Two rainouts in a series between Georgia and Tennessee helped Missouri maintain its position in the hunt for the final spot in this season's SEC tournament.

The best photographs by Missourian photographers in the past week include Hickman Prom and softball and baseball games.

This week in Missouri sports, the Missouri baseball team ended its nonconference  season with an upset loss to Southeast Missouri state and was swept in a weekend series with Texas A&M. Missouri softball team won two games against No. 2 Tennessee.

All six runs allowed by the Tigers (15-27, 7-16 Southeastern Conference) were unearned. Texas A&M also scored three runs in the first inning.

The Tigers only managed two hits in a low-scoring affair. Rob Zastryzny's record is now 2-9 despite his maintaining an ERA under 4.00. 

Missouri dropped its final nonconference game of the season Tuesday night 9-7 against  Southeast Missouri State, the 231st-ranked team in the country according to the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index.

The Missouri players were uncharacteristically jubilant after sweeping Auburn in a doubleheader Sunday, 3-1 in the first game and 4-1 in the second game, to take its first Southeastern Conference series win at home.

The start time for the Missouri baseball team's Saturday game against Southeastern Conference opponent Auburn has been moved back from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. because of rain.

Rob Zastryzny gave Missouri a chance to win against Auburn, but the offense could only muster one run on a second-inning Keaton Steele homer. Still, Zastryzny said the loss is on him.

Five different Tigers pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts, but it was the lack of offense that led to a 4-2 loss to the Bears on Wednesday at Taylor Stadium.