Mizzou rallies to beat Saint Louis U. 5-3 in college baseball at the K

Devil magic was required, so Missouri baseball was in the right place — Kauffman Stadium — for an in-state showdown Tuesday against Saint Louis University.

The Tigers, who entered the game on a six-game skid and having lost nine of their last 10 games, used the Royals’ dugout and tapped into the reigning World Series champion’s penchant for rallying during a 5-3 comeback victory.

“I’m not a big Royals fan, but we do have a lot of KC guys on our team that definitely do love the Royals,” said Mizzou sophomore third baseman Shane Benes, a St. Louis native and the son of former Cardinals pitcher Andy Benes. “We did use a little of their magic today.”

It had been a tough few weeks for the Tigers, who opened Southeastern Conference play by getting swept in three-game series against No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Vanderbilt.

The win against the Billikens, which drew a crowd of 724, provided a welcome midweek respite for the Tigers, who improved to 15-12 and now hope to carry some momentum into a weekend series at No. 15 Arkansas.

“It was a big confidence-booster,” said freshman designated hitter Brian Sharp, who had an RBI single and scored the game-winning run during the Tigers’ three-run fifth inning. “We weren’t going so well. We played pretty well some games and some games we haven’t, but I think this is a good stepping stone to what’s going to come next.”

Saint Louis, 12-13, jumped in front with a two-run first inning against Mizzou right-hander Ryan Lee, a Grandview graduate.

Senior first baseman Zach Lavy’s sacrifice fly allowed the Tigers to scratch out a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Billikens led 2-1 into the fifth inning.

That’s when Missouri found that Royals’ devil magic with a three-run outburst.

Sharp, a Liberty North graduate, knotted the game with an RBI single and sophomore third baseman Shane Benes’ second double of the game put the Tigers in front.

Sharp later scored on a wild pitch for the decisive run.

“It was awesome,” Sharp said. “It was everything I thought it was going to be. Under the big lights and on the big stage, it was fun. I’m a diehard Royals fan and getting a hit in Kauffman Stadium means the world.”

For most of the Tigers, the contest was the first in a big-league ballpark.

“This is a big deal for them,” Tigers coach Tim Jamieson said. “Sometimes, you lose perspective of that. These guys (the Royals) won a World Series last year. To see the field on TV in the playoffs then be able to be the first ones this year to play on it, it’s a big deal and I think they felt that way too.”

Saint Louis pulled back a run in the sixth inning and threatened to draw even in the seventh when Cole Dubet led off with a double and Michael Bozarth followed with an infield single to third.

Parker Sniatynski then ripped a grounder up the middle that appeared ticketed for center field before a sliding stop by Missouri second baseman Ian Nelson and nifty backhand flip started a 4-6-3 double play.

“That’s a huge play, because that’s a big inning for them if we don’t get an out there, let alone two,” Jamieson said. “(Nelson) had another play right after that, where he makes a tough play with a runner at third.”

The Tigers’ defense turned a season-high five double plays, including a game-ending 5-3 double-play lineout to Benes.

“Coming off a game with (program record-tying) eight errors, just being able to go back to the fundamentals and make routine plays was huge for us,” Benes said referring to Sunday’s 17-7 loss against Vanderbilt.

Missouri improved to 15-1 against Saint Louis under Jamieson and 2-4 at Kauffman Stadium.

“We played really good defense,” Jamieson said. “We didn’t pitch it very well and we were not opportunistic offensively, but we still found a way to win. Hopefully, that gets the monkey off our back a little bit and we’re more relaxed going into Arkansas.”

Lee, who allowed two runs on four hits in the first inning, settled in nicely and finished his appearance with 3  2/3 scoreless innings. He only allowed two more hits after the opening frame.

Sophomore Cole Bartlett, who scattered four hits and allowed one run in 2  1/3 innings of relief, picked up the win and freshman Liam Carter earned the save with two scoreless innings.

“I’m just glad it didn’t rub off on Saint Louis in the eighth and the ninth,” Jamieson said of the Royals’ devil magic.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 10:05 PM with the headline "Mizzou rallies to beat Saint Louis U. 5-3 in college baseball at the K."