Missouri baseball wins battle, sweeps No. 6 Florida. Can MU win war, make SEC Tournament?

If you were one of the believers, you were one of the few.

Missouri baseball already had the series locked up entering Sunday’s finale with the No. 6-ranked Florida Gators. Entering the bottom of the ninth, a once-six-run lead had turned to a two-run deficit, and the shot at a sweep looked to have passed.

But the Tigers had one more unexpected inning in them.

Missouri did the unthinkable, defeating the Gators 11-10 behind a three-run ninth-inning comeback that culminated in Jeric Curtis’ walk-off single that drove Brock Daniels home and sealed the first sweep over UF in program history.

Curtis was one of the believers. He repeated the word “faith” several times in his postgame interview. So, when the Tigers’ leadoff hitter went to the plate on an 0-for-5 hitting day and his team was down to its final out, that faith didn’t waiver.

Missouri (15-18, 4-8 SEC) had put two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth after freshman center fielder Kaden Peer and Friday’s 11th-inning hero Jedier Hernandez drew walks. Second baseman Matt Garcia hit a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, with Tucker Moore now pinch running for Hernandez, one base apiece.

Pinch hitter Mateo Serna watched UF (17-14, 6-6) cleanup pitcher Luke McNellie wild pitch pass him by and then watched Peer make it home. Serna struck out before Daniels doubled home Moore to tie the game. Daniels advanced to third on another wild pitch.

And then it was Curtis’ time.

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Curtis’ crack was dropping in shallow center. Florida’s center fielder was tracking it down, and it looked for all the world like he’d reach it in time and send the game to extra innings.

Instead, it grazed his fingers.

Break out the brooms.

Missouri, with a sudden and unexpected sweep, had put itself in the hunt for a spot in Hoover, Alabama.

Where Missouri baseball stands in SEC Tournament race

As it stands the SEC Tournament, the 12-team event that is now 18 conference games away, has an invite extended to the Missouri Tigers.

Entering the weekend series with Florida, the Tigers were 1-8 in SEC play and rooted to the conference floor alongside Auburn.

Now, Missouri is two games clear of Auburn.

Now, Missouri is a game clear of reigning national champions LSU and 2022 national champions Ole Miss, both of which stand at 3-9. Mizzou is tied with Alabama at 4-8.

“I mean, they only take the top 12 teams, so all the wins that you can get put you in position to be one of those top 12, and that's what we're fighting for now,” Missouri coach Kerrick Jackson said. … “We get on the roll here, who knows what can happen? We’ve got 18 games left, and we can put ourselves in a situation where we finish higher than what we thought we were capable of.

“And I think what you guys were able to see this weekend is if we play good baseball, we can play with anybody.”

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Both Auburn and LSU will make the trip to Columbia in the coming weeks.

Before then, Missouri will face Georgia on the road in a series beginning Thursday. And it’ll head there with a sweep under the belt.

“I don’t think it’s renewed belief,” Curtis said. “We’ve always believed we could go to Omaha (for the College World Series) and far into the playoffs. I think this is just a kickstart, to be honest.”

What must Missouri do to reach Hoover?

Jackson recognized that his team had its ups and downs in his first season.

Those inconsistencies were still evident against the Gators.

The pitching staff that held Florida’s stout offense to four runs over the past 20 innings frittered away a six-run lead Sunday, allowing four multi-run home runs over the course of the next six innings to put the sweep in peril.

And then, with the bases loaded, Jacob Peaden struck out three straight Gators to give Mizzou a chance entering the bottom of the ninth.

The Missouri offense that managed just two runs against Vanderbilt over the course of its series last weekend, and then left 16 runners on base Friday night during a 2-1, walk-off win over UF? Those players went berserk in the opening two innings against Florida.

The Tigers forced two-way star Jac Caglianone off the mound after just four outs, by which time he’d been tagged for seven hits, three walks and a tied career-high six earned runs. Missouri finished the finale with 15 hits.

So there’s the mark for Missouri: More of the good, more often.

“Consistently going out and doing the same things, not having the one-offs,” Jackson said. … “We talk about compound mistakes, and we have to eliminate those compound mistakes.”

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri baseball wins battle, sweeps No. 6 Florida. Can MU win the war?