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Missouri walks-off Appalachian State extending winning streak to 15 games

The No. 26 Missouri Tigers (15-1) were 0-8 on Sunday with runners in scoring position coming into Robbie Glendinning’s (1-4, RBI) at-bat in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded. Glendinning broke that drought sending the Tigers to their 15th consecutive victory and a series sweep over Appalachian State (6-9).

The 15-1 start matches the best start in program history since 1985. Missouri now has four walk-off wins during the 15 game winning streak.

For Glendinning it was his second walk-off single of the week. The first came against Western Carolina on Wednesday night. On a 0-2 pitch, Glendinning singled to the right side scoring pinch runner Johnny Balsamo giving the Tigers a 3-2 victory.

“With two strikes I was just trying to battle,” Glendinning said. “He left a fastball over the plate and I put a decent swing on it and it got through.”

Glendinning’s bases loaded walk-off single would not have been possible if it was not for Brian Sharp’s (2-4, run, RBI) game-tying leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth. Sharp hit it to opposite field giving him his second career home run and second of the season.

“The blow that Brian Sharp had there takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the club,” Head Coach Steve Bieser said. “The guys after him were able to relax and found a way to score another run and all of a sudden the pressure goes to Appalachian State in that situation.”

The Florida battery of Andy Toelken and Nelson Mompierre worked well as Toelken worked seven innings allowing just three hits and two runs while striking out seven. The one pitch Toelken made a mistake on was put over the left field wall in the top of the sixth inning to give the Mountaineers a 2-1 lead.

“It was the best outing that Toelken has had all year,” Bieser said. “I thought his stuff was sharp. The one thing for Andy is getting him to believe in pitching to contact because he has such a good sinker ball.”

Mompierre agrees.

“He pitched really well,” Mompierre said. “He hit his spots really well and the one mistake he made cost him but besides that he pitched a gem.”

The 2-1 deficit was not easy to overcome, as the Tigers could not knot up the score having three consecutive innings from the sixth to the eighth in which they left a pair on each inning. With runners on the corners and two outs in the seventh inning, Mizzou tried to double steal Cornelius and Sharp. To the Tigers’ dismay, Cornelius ran too close to second base and got tagged out before Sharp could cross home plate.

“Those were tough situations because they could sense the fact of the disappointment that myself and the coaching staff had,” Bieser said.

Mompierre (3-3, run, RBI) had a career-day recording his first Division I three-hit game and also launched his first career home run in the third inning.

“It’s a great feeling,” Mompierre said. “We practice a lot in the cold and it’s something that I have gotten used to.”

T.J. Sikkema (4-0, 0.41 ERA) continued his dominance on the mound working two innings of relief while striking out four picking up his fourth victory of the year. The freshman left-hander has worked 22 innings this year and has struck out 36, 17 have been looking.

For Missouri, it was their sixth one-run victory during the 15 game winning streak. Winning these one-run games will be extremely important moving forward into SEC play that starts next weekend in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

“The luxury is that we have played a lot of tight games and have found ways to win,” Bieser said. “You have to give credit to players when they can do that.”

Missouri leads the all-time series with Appalachian State 3-0.

The Tigers return to the diamond for a mid-week two-game series against Chicago State. Tex Little and Matt Michaels will have the call on KTGR {100.5 FM/1580 AM}. Tuesday’s game will air on SEC Network Plus and Wednesday’s game will air on SEC Network.

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