South Carolina defeated Missouri 4-3 Friday night at Taylor Stadium behind the pitching of junior Wil Crowe, after the Gamecock (30-19, 12-13 SEC) right-hander struck out nine Tigers in seven innings to send Missouri (29-21, 9-16) to its ninth loss in 11 games.
Missouri came into Friday night 2-6 in SEC openers this season. The Tigers scored 22 total runs in those games — nine of which came in an April 21 victory over Ole Miss.
Missouri coach Steve Bieser gave Missouri fans a glimpse of the future of his pitching ranks by starting freshman T.J. Sikkema under the Friday night lights.