Connor Brumfield needed this kind of night.
Missouri's lone four-year senior player saw his leadoff spot disappear by the end of last season. He was shifted out of center field this year. And he's been hitting eighth or ninth consistently for the Tigers in this young season.
Brumfield's big game Tuesday in the Tigers' opener against Alabama A&M felt like a welcome memory of his productive sophomore season in 2017, when he led off 52 times in 55 starts. He stole a base, scored a run and had a career-high four RBI to lead the Tigers (5-4) over the woeful Bulldogs (0-9) by a score of 13-5 on Tuesday night at Taylor Stadium.
"Connor needs to have those big nights for us," head coach Steve Bieser said. "We need more out of Connor than what we've had in the past."
The game seemed to mirror the Tigers' nascent season thus far: close at first, including a couple deficits, but with Missouri improving rapidly and growing into itself by the end.
Alabama A&M took a little while to remember its position as the No. 299 out of 299 Division I teams. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the second and grabbed the lead back at 4-3 in the fifth.
But three big innings from the Tigers were enough to handle their weak competition. Austin James' triple keyed a three-run fourth, three bases-loaded walks and an infield single provided a four-run fifth, and a barrage of hits and a pair of ugly errors gave the Tigers six more in the seventh.
Freshman pitchers Trae Robertson, Tommy Springer and Seth Halvorsen got Missouri through the seventh while the Tigers' offense constructed its cushion. Sophomore Konnor Ash took care of the eighth and freshman Luke Mann moved from designated hitter to pitch the ninth.
Robertson, the left-handed Hickman product who got the start, allowed a pair of runs in the second. He walked Pierre Brewton with the bases loaded, then gave up an infield single to Jonathan Smith II.
"Second inning, command fell apart a little bit," Robertson said. "I wasn't attacking hitters like I was in the first inning."
Springer's lone error in his three innings of work was a major one. He gave up a two-out, two-strike double down the left-field line to Bulldogs right fielder Daniel Tart in the fifth. The hit put Alabama A&M up 4-3.
"It was a difficult game," Bieser said. "We came off of nice weather, playing many games in a short amount of time, had a day off yesterday, then to try to turn around and kick it in. I thought we struggled for most of the game, but we did take advantage of the opportunities the other team gave us, and that's what you have to do."
Missouri, which had just fought back for three runs on the strength of James' fourth-inning triple, was quickly back for more. Clayton Peterson was picked off but escaped a rundown when first baseman Richard Polinsky's glove suddenly seemed to sprout a hole on a return throw. After that, the Tigers patiently waited at the plate, pleased to let Bulldogs starter Logan Smith try to find the plate. After an 0-2 count on Tony Ortiz with the bases loaded and two down, Smith unraveled.
He walked Ortiz, then walked Mark Vierling on four pitches. Brumfield saw five pitches before he got the Tigers' third straight run-scoring free pass of the inning. With Paul Gomez's subsequent infield single, Missouri had recovered for a 7-4 advantage.
That lead the Tigers couldn't squander. With men at second and third in the bottom of the seventh, Brumfield ripped the first pitch Khari Caver threw him into left for a two-run base hit to push the Tigers into a comfortable position. The Bulldogs committed two ugly errors — a low throw from third base and an easy fly ball muffed in center — to push Missouri's lead to eight runs.
The Tigers had a clean game, committing no errors, while Alabama A&M had four.
"We just gotta be clean, make the routine plays, and usually everything tends to work out if we do," Brumfield said.
On Tuesday night, he was right.
Notes:
Junior shortstop Chris Cornelius and sophomore outfielder Alex Peterson weren't in Missouri's starting lineup as both needed a day to rehabilitate minor injuries. Cornelius has been banged up since the Tigers' Florida trip, coupled with the heat of the Sunshine State, Bieser said. Peterson left last Tuesday's game against Florida A&M with a hamstring pull that Bieser said isn't major but still needs some time.
Junior TJ Sikkema will start at 6:30 p.m. Friday against Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas. Senior Tyler LaPlante will get the ball at 3 p.m. Saturday against South Dakota State in Conway.
