Game Day: Unrealized opportunities

I've been away from the computer most of the weekend, so there's plenty to catch up on.

■ Good things come to he who waits (Columbia Tribune)

“He has an approach. He knows exactly where he wants the ball and what type of pitch he wants,” junior catcher Brett Nicholas said. “And he’s stubborn up there. If he doesn’t get it first pitch, he’ll wait to get it second pitch. If he doesn’t get it then, he’ll get it the third or the fourth. He’ll have a few at-bats that are six, seven, eight pitches long.

“But once he gets that pitch, he takes advantage of it.”

Sunday,OSU 4, MU 3

■ Mizzou baseball vs. Oklahoma State rubber match live blog (LMOV.com)

Bottom 8—Dane Opel gets hit by a pitch with two out to load the bases but Russell LaFleuer grounds out to third to end the inning. The three men left on base pushed Missouri's LOB total to 14. If Missouri ends up losing this one, they're going to look back on a lot of unrealized opportunities they had to put themselves ahead.

[Trrip notes: As usual, great game photos wit this article]

Saturday, OSU 10, MU 7

■ After one ptcher's tossed, another comes through in Missouri baseball loss (Columbia Missourian)

In a gutsy move, the Cowboys sent pitcher Brad Propst to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning. In his first at-bat of the season, Propst launched a two-run homer to deep left field, over Missouri’s bullpen and into the football team’s practice field.

The bomb made the score 10-2. The next batter was plunked by Scardino. Scardino, known for his excellent control, was immediately tossed.

■ Mizzou baseball vs. Oklahoma State game two live blog (KMOV.com)

Home plate umpire Ken McQueen immediately ejected Scardino, obviously thinking he was retaliating for Propst's home run. We'll try to find out more after the game, but with Missouri down 10-2, McQueen wasn't wrong to think there coud've been some intent. I don't think there was—and if there was, we probably get a straight answer from the coaching staff (understandably so—they'd want to protect their pitcher).

[Trrip note: Umpire McQueen has a long-standing reputation of having a short fuse and quick to eject]

Friday, MU 9, OSU 2

■ Tepesch in command (Columbia Tribune)

Missouri starting pitcher Nick Tepesch lauded his defense. The junior right-hander said that his pitching style is to “hunt contact” and let the fielders make the plays — which the Tigers did a stellar job of last night.

But when that philosophy didn’t quite work out, Tepesch took matters into his own arm

■ Pitcher finally shows dominance in Missouri baseball team win (Columbia Missourian)

Coach Tim Jamieson has been reluctant to name Tepesch his ace. The team has had clear number one pitchers in years past. Jamieson has seen electric pitchers such as Max Scherzer, Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson take the ball on Friday nights and lead the Tigers to consistent victories.

Jamieson had hoped Tepesch would continue the trend. Jamieson said Friday was certainly a step in the right direction.

■ Tepesch leads Mizzou baseball to pivotal victory(KCTV5.com)

Blue Springs South alumnus Nick Tepesch helped lead the Missouri (19-13, 3-7) baseball team to a 9-2 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys (19-14, 4-6) on Friday night.

Prior to this game, the Tigers had not won a conference game on a Friday night, which is crucial since it is usually the first game of a three game series.

Coach Tim Jamieson felt Tepesch's performance was one of the best in his career. He thinks it is essential to have a go-to starter to be successful in the postseason and says Tepesch looked like he could fill that role after Friday's performance.

"Nick was definitely a legitimate No. 1 tonight," Jamieson said

■ Mizzou baseball vs. Oklahoma State series opener live blog (KMOV.com)

I don't know if this has been pointed out already, but Kelly Fick easily has the best intro music of any player on the team — he comes out of the bullpen to the theme song from "Dexter." That's just outstanding.

[Trrip note: More great photos with this blog]