University of Tennessee
Missouri
Cox Dominant in Vols 5-2 Win Over Mizzou
April 09, 2015 | Baseball
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee used a dominant performance by left-handed starter Andy Cox and a two-run homer by SEC Player of the Week Christin Stewart to scratch past No. 23 Missouri on Thursday night, taking a 5-2 win in Game One of the weekend series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
With the win, the Volunteers move to 5-8 in SEC competition and 15-14 on the season, while Missouri (22-12) is now 8-5 in conference play. The victory gives UT a 5-2 all-time record over the Tigers and puts the squad above .500 for the first time since March 14 against then No. 3-ranked Florida.
"Tonight was a good baseball game and I'm very proud of our guys--how they've stuck together," said Head Coach Dave Serrano. "They've held together and we've fought through it and now it's our time to start playing good baseball. It's just right at the right time."
In his first start of the season, lefthander Andy Cox (1-1) was dominant against the Tigers, holding Mizzou's lineup scoreless on five hits through the sixth frame. His 6.1 innings mark his longest outing of the season, while his eight strikeouts were just one shy of tying his career high of nine strikeouts, accomplished on May 11, 2014 at Mississippi State.
""[With Andy Cox] we made the decision this week that the time is now," Serrano said. "It was huge for what he did tonight. It was huge not only for him but for this team. We have a fresh Andy Cox. He hasn't logged a lot of innings and I think you'll see some more performances like he did tonight."
"It's awesome to set the tempo for the weekend," Cox said following the game. "It's a big win. [First night] wins in the SEC are hard to come by. Bret Marks and Drake Owenby go out there and do their thing. It helps when I go out there and just be myself and have good tempo because the defense works for me."
The Vols collected nine hits on Missouri, led by sophomore Nick Senzel (3-for-4, 2 RBI) and junior Christin Stewart (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI).
Tennessee pulled ahead with a two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth, as catcher David Houser and right fielder Chris Hall reached base with one out. Second baseman Senzel then roped a two-RBI single to left field, but was called out advancing to second base on a throw from Mizzou's left fielder Trey Harris.
The Vols kept their bats going in the sixth, as shortstop A.J. Simcox led off with a single back up the middle of the infield. Stewart, in his first start of the year as designated hitter, then crushed a two-run home run over the left field wall to give Tennessee a 4-0 advantage.
Mizzou came back in the seventh to plate two runs via a two-run homer by designated hitter Jake Ivory. Entering the game in relief of Cox, senior righthander Peter Lenstrohm then retired his two batters faced to end the frame and stop the Tigers' seventh-inning rally.
Righthander Kyle Serrano threw 1.0 scoreless inning of relief in the eighth before starting first baseman Andrew Lee went to the mound for the Vols in the ninth. Lee retired all three batters faced, including two strikeouts, to secure the win for UT and collect his seventh save of the year.
"We have a lot more confidence," Stewart said. "We know we're a good team. We just have to go out there and show it. That's what we're doing right now. We're playing like what we're capable of."
"We're making a move every game," Serrano added. "We're going to do whatever we can every game to win that game. We won tonight, so we still have a chance to sweep. If that gets taken away then we want to win the series."
In Game Two of the series tomorrow, righthander Bret Marks (4-3) gets the starting nod against the Tigers, with first pitch slated for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network television.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee baseball program, visit UTSports.com/baseball and follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter. To purchase tickets to future games, visit UTTix.com.
