The game that had it all, including a Mizzou baseball win; And a Tiger series win
Through the late 2000s and early 2010s, Bill Hader had a consistent Weekend Update character on Saturday Night Live named Stefon.
Hader would come to the update desk and tell Seth Myers all about the hottest club in New York that “Had Everything.”
And when Stefon said everything, he meant it. “Leprechauns that look like Farrah Fawcett and a doorman who always high-fives children of divorce.”
It was one of my first looks into absurdist comedy. And on Friday and Saturday, Mizzou baseball played a game that had everything.
There was crazy rain that pushed a 6 p.m. start back to 8:55 p.m. Then there was a six-run Mizzou inning in the eighth to take a 7-6 lead into the ninth. There was a Vanderbilt comeback attempt halted by heavy fog that rolled into Taylor Stadium slightly before midnight and a home run that wasn’t as the fly ball was lost in the fog in right-center field. When the game resumed on Saturday, there was an attempted steal of home where the runner was safe, but the pitch was called Strike 3 and ended the inning. And there was a walk-off single from the right fielder smart enough to throw his hands in the air when he lost the ball in the fog.
In the end, Mizzou won 8-7 in 10 innings against Vanderbilt, claiming just the Tigers’ second SEC home win since the start of the 2025 season.
“Just a good overall weekend for our guys” Mizzou baseball coach Kerrick Jackson said.
The weather issues
Even with a weekend that looked much nicer in the forecast, Mizzou and Vanderbilt did not discuss pushing Friday’s game into a doubleheader on either Saturday or Sunday.
And as the game pushed toward midnight and the fog rolled in, the conversations about picking it up the next day were umpire led.
“Once the game starts, it’s in the umpires’ hands to make that decision with regards to safety and those types of things,” Jackson said. “They met with us right before that last half that we played and asked opinions. But at that point, when the game starts, when it comes to rain or any of those types of things, that’s in the umpires’ hands.”
The initial Mizzou comeback
Trailing 6-1, the Tigers came to bat in the bottom of the eighth with the fog already rolling in. The Tigers put together six runs on five hits and an error, starting with a Blaize Ward single and a Mateo Serna double. Donovan Jordan reached on an error that scored Ward, then Kaden Peer doubled to score Serna.
Keegan Knutson then bunted for a single to score Jordan and Eric Maisonet bunted to score Peer.
After a flyout and a walk, Kam Durnin walked to score Knutson and Ward grounded out to score Maisonet.
The Tigers went into the ninth with a lead, looking to hold onto a late-night win.
But then came the fog
But a single, a sacrifice bunt, a strikeout and a walk put runners on first and second with two outs.
Braden Holcomb then launched a fly ball into right center. But no one, not the umpires, not the fans or the relief pitchers in the bullpens or the TV broadcast, could agree on where exactly the ball landed.
“Not much, it was pretty foggy,” Jackson said of what he saw on the play.
“Honestly, I didn’t see anything,” Mizzou right fielder Jordan said. “All I remember is hearing something hit the ground and then looking around.”
After the hit was ruled a ground-rule double, the game was supsended.
“People can argue and say whether or not, based off Trackman, it was a home run or it wasn’t a home run,” Jackson said. “I find it difficult to believe that at that launch angle and where he hit it in the park with heavy air, that the ball actually got out.”
Starting again
It picked back up Saturday afternoon with two outs and runners on second and third in a tie game.
Juan Villarreal then struck out the first batter he faced, setting Mizzou up for a walkoff win.
The Tigers got runners on first and third with no outs. But a shallow lineout and two strikeouts sent the game to extras.
In the top of the 10th, Vanderbilt hit a double down the line in left and the runner moved to third on a groundout. On a 1-2 count, the Commodore runner attempted to steal home and slid in ahead of the tag. But the pitch was called a strike and the inning ended without the run scoring.
Then in the bottom of the 10th, Durnin walked, moved to second on a groundout and Jordan, who was in right field and created the confusion in the fog when he threw his arms up to signal a ground-rule double, came through with a single up the middle.
“When opportunities presented themselves, he’s jumped in there and had some big hits for us,” Jackson said. “Whether it’s coming off the bench, whether it’s not playing for a number of games and then getting inserted into the lineup. He’s just a tough, tough competitior that wants to be in those situations.”
Game 2: Vanderbilt wins 11-8 in 11 innings
The second game of the series offered a lot, though not quite as much.
Vanderbilt took a 3-0 lead with two runs in the first then one in the second. But Mizzou responded with four runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead.
Three straight walks loaded the bases, then a balk brought home Maisonet. Durnin then doubled through the left side of the infield to bring in two runs. And Ward sent a single up the middle to add another.
“You’ll take a split on the day,” Jackson said. “But too many missed opportunities there in that second game.”
The Tigers put up three more in the fourth with the help fo a single, a hit batter, a sacrifice bunt and a walk. A wild pitch brought home a run, then a sacriice fly and another wild pitch brought home two more.
A Jordan double in the fourth brought home another run to put Mizzou up 8-3.
Vanderbilt put up three runs in the sixth before a lightning delay extended the series further.
When the game, originally scheduled to start at 4 p.m. before Friday’s game had to be picked back up, resumed at 8:53 p.m., Vanderbilt was able to tie the game at eight with runs in the seventh and eighth.
The Commodores sent the game to extras and put up three runs in the top of the 11th to pull off the win.
Game 3: Mizzou wins 4-1
Mizzou came back out for Game 3, and while there wasn’t nearly as much in-game drama, the Tigers came away with a 4-1 win.
It was the Tigers’ second SEC series win of the season. Which was the first time Jackson has done that in his three years at the helm. It was also the Tigers’ first home SEC series win since 2024. Not to mention the first Mizzou series win against Vanderbilt since 2018. And just the second in the history of the matchup.
“I know what people are gonna say,” Jackson said. “It’s really unfortunate that they’re going to say, ‘Oh, well, they beat a down Vanderbilt team.’ That’s Vanderbilt. I don’t care how down they are, it’s still Vanderbilt. Don’t discredit our kids and what they were able to do in this weekend.”
The Commodores scored the first run of the game. But the Tigers responded in the bottom of the first and didn’t allow a run the rest of the way.
Trailing 1-0, Mizzou’s first four batters reached base. Woita walked, Durnin singled and Ward singled to load the bases. Serna then singled to right to score two runs and Jordan grounded out to score a third.
Mizzou added a run in the eighth when Durnin tripled and Ward brought him in with a sacrifice fly.
But the more important piece was on the other side. Six Mizzou pitchers took the hill and combined to allow just four hits, six walks, three hit batters and one run.
Keyler Gonzalez got the start and went 3.1 innings. He allowed one run on three hits, two walks and three hit batters. He struck out three.
Isaiah Salas came on in relief and threw 1.2 innings of scoreless ball, walking one and striking out one. Then Villarreall came on to get the next two outs, walking one and striking out one. Eli Skidmore pitched next, throwing a scoreless frame while allowing a hit and a walk. Then Ian Lohse pitched 1.1 innings, striking out two batters.
Sam Rosand came on in the ninth and earned the save, walking one batter in one inning of work.
“It wasn’t an offensive day,” Jackson said. “The wind’s blowing in and that’s a team that has a lot of home runs and relies on the long ball at times. Our guys were able to come in there, pitch both sides of the plate (and) throw their secondary pitches for strikes.”
Up next
Mizzou (23-27, 6-21 SEC) will finish the regular season with a three-game series at No. 4 Texas.