COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Gold squad jumped out to a commanding lead early, grabbing a 6-0 edge after the third inning as it cruised to an easy 6-0 victory in a seven-inning game on Wednesday night (Oct. 22) at Taylor Stadium. Peter Fairbanks (St. Louis, Mo.) started on the mound for Gold, tossing a perfect three innings and striking out three. The Gold pitchers held Black to just five hits in the contest.
Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) had a solid day at the plate, claiming two hits, scoring twice and claiming a RBI. Overall the Gold squad took advantage of Black team mistakes, as they scored all six runs on only five hits. A handful of wild pitches from Black starter Ryan Lee (Grandview, Mo.) and five walks allowed Gold to score two runs in each of the game's first three frames.
The Gold squad wasted no time jumping on top in the bottom of the first, getting its first two hitters aboard and taking advantage of a wild pitch that moved both into scoring position. Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) both tallied a RBI in the inning as Gold claimed an early 2-0 lead. They tacked on two more in the second as Ring claimed the RBI and scored the run after advancing on two wild pitches, giving the home squad a 4-0 edge.
Gold once again added two runs in the third, taking advantage of walks and wild pitches to build the lead to 6-0. Nolan Gromacki (Smithville, Mo.) replaced Fairbanks in the fourth inning after three perfect frames, and Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) registered the Black team's first hit of the day in the inning, though he was left stranded. After both teams went scoreless in the fifth, Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) and Lavy both registered hits in the sixth for Black, though they were left stranded on the corners.
Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) replaced Liam Carter (Highland Park, Ill.) after two scoreless innings, striking out two in a scoreless inning. Andrew Schwaab (St. Charles, Mo.) pitched the seventh inning, sealing the shutout for Gold.
The final game of the Fall World Series will take place Thursday (Oct. 23) at 4 p.m. For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouBaseball) or check in to MUTigers.com.