May 1, 2009

Box Score

LINCOLN, Neb.- - Missouri extended its winning streak to five games with an 8-4 win over Nebraska on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series in Lincoln, Neb. The five-game winning streak is a season long for the Tigers, who have won six of their last seven conference games.

Mizzou (26-21, 12-10 Big 12) had five players with multi-hit games, including a trio of seniors. Coming off a four-hit game on Tuesday against Eastern Illinois, Steve Gray was 3-for-5 on Friday night with two RBI and a run scored, while Kyle Mach and Ryan Lollis each had two this.

Junior Aaron Senne and sophomore Ryan Ampleman also had two-hit ballgames.

Lollis drove in the game's first run with a double in the second inning and Gray picked up an RBI single in the fourth. Gray's hit drove in Mach, who had opened the fourth inning with a double to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Another senior, Austin Holt, drove in two more runs on a two-out double in the fourth.

Nebraska (21-14-1, 5-17) scored twice in bottom of the fourth and tied the game with a run in the sixth inning.

Missouri regained the lead after a four-run top of the seventh inning, with all four runs scoring with two outs in the inning. Mach doubled to drive in two runs and Gray tripled to score Mach. It was Gray's team-leading fourth triple of the year.

Ampleman drove in Gray with his second single of the game. Ampleman, in the lineup for the injured Trevor Coleman, was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

"We had a number of guys come through for us offensively tonight," Head Coach Tim Jamieson said. "There is a trust in the lineup that if I don't get it done, the next guy will pick me up. That takes a lot of pressure off everyone."

On the mound, junior Kyle Gibson improved to 8-3 on the season by taking the win. He struck out eight and walked just one in eight innings pitched, allowing four runs on six hits.

Gibson is making his way up the Missouri record books. With the victory, he is now tied for fourth all-time with 25 career wins. He moved into third in career strikeouts with 280 and his 107 strikeouts this season is tied for seventh most in school history.

Junior Greg Folgia had his 10-game hitting streak snapped on Friday as he was 0-for-3 with a walk. The 10-game streak was the longest by any Tiger this season.

Game two of the three-game series in Lincoln is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. on Saturday.