Mizzou

Mizzou junior RHP Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout to lift Mizzou Baseball over Tennessee, 2-0, on Friday night to win its second consecutive SEC series. Bartlett tallied his second complete game of the season, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out two, needing only 105 pitches to mow through the Tennessee order. It was Mizzou’s second one-hitter of the year as Bartlett did not allow a Tennessee runner to reach scoring position in the start. The only offense needed was a second-inning, two-run homer from senior RF Kirby McGuire (Round Rock, Texas).

Mizzou moves to 34-21 and 13-16 in SEC play. The Tigers have now won five straight games and have the most regular season wins by a Mizzou team since 2008. Mizzou has posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since April 15-17, 2015, against Georgia and Air Force. The only hit allowed by Bartlett was a one-out single in the first inning. He retired 16 in a row at one point.

McGuire gave Mizzou an early 2-0 lead on his second homer of the year as he tattooed the first pitch he saw over the fence in left field for his second homer of the year and first in SEC play. Bartlett then responded with a seven-pitch inning in the Vols’ half of the second inning as Mizzou led 2-0 after two innings.

Bartlett issued a leadoff walk to open the bottom of the third, but he got a big 4-6-3 double play on a 2-0 pitch off the bat of DH Will Heflin to escape the jam, throwing just 31 pitches through 3.0 complete innings. Bartlett got three groundouts in the fourth, giving him 10 groundball outs through the first four innings of action, doing so on just 40 pitches.

That was a common theme for Bartlett as he kept his pitch count low and retired 11 in a row after the leadoff walk in the third. That carried Mizzou through the sixth inning with a 2-0 lead. Bartlett extended that streak to 16 in a row until a two-out walk in the bottom of the eighth inning. Sophomore CF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) then made a diving catch in center field to rob Max Bartlett of a hit as Mizzou led 2-0 moving to the ninth inning.

Tennessee got the leadoff man aboard in the ninth on an error by Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) at second base, but Bartlett got a huge 4-6-3 double play to move within one out of the shutout. He capped off the one-hitter in style, striking out Justin Amons looking for his second punch out of the day.

Mizzou looks for the sweep Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) with the game set to air on KTGR in the Mid-Missouri area. For all the latest on all things Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MizzouBaseball and like the team on Facebook and Instagram (Missouri Baseball).