FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - It took the Missouri baseball team eight games to pick up its first Southeastern Conference win. The Tigers didn't wait nearly that long to get their second.
Missouri picked up its first SEC win Saturday, defeating No. 15 Arkansas 8-5, then backed it up with a 10-1 victory Sunday.
Missouri was able to hold off a Razorbacks rally Saturday, as the Tigers led 6-0 after four innings and 7-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth.
A single, a double and a groundout got Arkansas within 7-2.
The Razorbacks did their most damage in the seventh, drawing a walk and hitting a single and a triple before the first out. The triple cut Missouri's lead to 7-4 and that was the end of Tanner Houck's day.
Houck (3-2) allowed five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four in six innings of work to earn the win.
Liam Carter retired the first batter he faced with a groundout, but gave up an RBI single to make it 7-5. Carter allowed two hits and walked one in 11/3 innings.
Missouri got an insurance run in the eighth. Arkansas loaded the bases in its half of the eighth, but Austin Tribby got out of the jam with a groundout.
In the bottom of the ninth, Carson Shaddy nearly pulled Arkansas within one run with a two-run home run to left, but it went foul.
Tribby closed out the final 12/3 innings, striking out three, walking one and allowing one hit to earn the save.
The Tigers wasted no time to take the lead, leading off the game with a Kirby McGuire single and a Jake Ring double before Ryan Howard slapped a two-RBI double to right field to give Missouri a 2-0 lead.
Missouri tripled its lead with four runs in the fourth. Shane Benes hit a leadoff homer, then Ian Nelson doubled and later scored on Ring's sacrifice fly. Trey Harris later singled to right, driving in Howard and Brett Bond to extend Missouri's lead to 6-0.
On Sunday, Missouri never trailed thanks to a four-run fourth that included an RBI single by Howard, an RBI triple by Zach Lavy, an RBI single by Trey Harris and an RBI double by Benes.
Arkansas got its lone run in the seventh before Missouri had another four-run frame, this one in the eighth. The big blow was a three-run homer by McGuire, while Nelson had an RBI groundout.
The Tigers added two in the ninth. Lavy had an RBI single and Howard later scored on a wild pitch.
Lavy ended up with three hits and two RBI, while Howard had two hits and one RBI.
Michael Plassmeyer (2-2) worked the first 32/3 innings to get the win, as he did not allow a run while scattering four hits. He walked one and struck out five.
Cole Bartlett followed with 22/3 innings of work, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk while striking out two.
Brian Sharp got his fourth save with 22/3 scoreless, hitless innings. He walked two and struck out three.
Missouri is now 17-13 overall and 2-7 in the SEC, while Arkansas is 19-9 and 4-5.
The Tigers will host SIU-Edwardsville at 6 p.m. Tuesday.