When T.J. Sikkema induced a 6-3 double play to strand two Georgia runners and escape the top of the fourth inning, the celebration emitted from the Missouri dugout and bleachers was more suppressed than usual.
In a one-run, SEC game that carries extra weight as the regular season nears its conclusion, such an occurrence would normally produce a clamor of cheers, but what happened just a few moments earlier forbade that.
In the fourth inning, Tucker Maxwell sent a pop fly into the right-field foul territory. Cade Bormet, Missouri’s right fielder, turned left and sprinted in pursuit of the ball. As he crossed the foul line and entered foul territory, Bormet, attempting to catch the foul ball, slid and banged into the unpadded, brick wall.
After lying motionless on the maroon turf with trainers surrounding around him for some 20 minutes, Bormet exited the game on a stretcher. A relief to all, Bormet flipped a thumbs-up before being taken to the hospital.
“Each time something like that happens, it’s a bad feeling in your gut,” head coach Steve Bieser said. “When it’s one of your guys that goes against the wall for you and his team, and seeing it take him a little bit to respond, it’s always scary. When you put your head against the wall at the speed he was going at, it’s going to be something serious. And it was. It was a bad deal for him.”
According to a team spokesperson, Bormet has a few fractures in his face, a cut on his knee and a possible concussion. He remained at the hospital Thursday night and is in good condition. Considering the seriousness of the incident, it’s great news.
“As a senior, I just hate that for him,” Trey Harris said. “It sucked. I think it did shake us up for a few innings. My stomach was feeling queasy. I know what that brick wall is like. I get scared whenever I get close to it. To see him go full speed into it and there was nothing that anybody could do about it was the worst part. End of the day, it just sucked.”
It was an inauspicious night as a whole for Missouri (30-16, 9-13 in SEC), which went on to drop game one of the series against the Bulldogs 10-6.
Thursday night began on a high note, as Sikkema took the mound for his seventh start. He mowed through Georgia’s first three hitters, striking out two in a perfect first. Brian Sharp led off Missouri’s half with a home run, his second in his last three games.
The two SEC East teams went back and forth through the first three frames — after three lead-changes, the Tigers led 4-3 after three. But after surrendering three earned runs already, Sikkema was clearly off.
Sikkema pitched a scoreless fourth, but it all unraveled for the sophomore in the fifth. He gave up a single and walk to start the inning. Michael Curry hit an RBI single to left to tie the game 4-4. An Aaron Schunk single loaded the bases, and Adam Sasser cleared them with a swift swing of his bat, sending a grand slam over the right-field wall.
The slam was one of Sasser’s three home runs on the evening, and it gave Georgia an 8-4 lead it wouldn’t give back. Sikkema’s eight earned runs allowed were the most he’s given up in a game all year — his previous high was four. His ERA jumped from 2.68 to 3.81 by the time he exited in the fifth.
“I don’t want to make excuses,” Bieser added. “But I know some guys were shaken, based on the fact that it was a serious incident. Some guys took it pretty tough. T.J. was probably one of those guys.”
Sikkema’s start fits in with the concerning, downward trend of the Tigers’ pitching staff of late. Missouri has allowed at least ten runs to its opponent in each of the past four games. It’s gone 2-2 in those games thanks to an offense that’s been up to the task, but MU has been giving up more and more runs at an inopportune time.
“It’s just one of those things where some guys haven’t pitched as much this late into a season, and I think guys are adjusting to how their bodies feel,” Harris said.
Michael Plassmeyer has given up nine earned runs over his last two starts. Tyler LaPlante’s worst start came last weekend, when he gave up five earned in one inning to Kentucky.
“It’s been frustrating,” Bieser said. “I can’t really put a finger on it. I’ll reevaluate tonight and sit down with Coach Corral. We’ll make sure if we can right the ship from a pitching standpoint. We’ve been riding those guys all year long. You’ve got ups and downs.”
Missouri will look to even the series up on Friday when Plassmeyer takes the mound at 6:30 p.m.
