A sixth-inning grand slam ended a University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff upset bid in baseball and wasted a stellar start on the mound Wednesday afternoon.
University of Missouri designated hitter Mateo Serna delivered the go-ahead hit to lead the Tigers to a 5-1 win and a two-game sweep of UAPB at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Mo.
UAPB (4-6) led 1-0 when Serna stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. He was 0 for 2 entering his third plate appearance but launched right-hander Jalen Porter’s pitch into the Tigers’ bullpen beyond the left field wall to give his team the lead.
Serna drove in the only other Mizzou run of the day with an RBI groundout with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth.
His performance on Wednesday came after he was similarly dominant for the Tigers (7-2) while playing catcher in their 15-1 win against the Golden Lions on Tuesday. Serna hit a combined 3 for 9 in the two-game series with nine RBI and three runs. His grand slam was his second home run of the season after hitting a solo shot on Tuesday.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Serna’s offense spoiled what had been a tremendous, though perhaps unexpected, start on the mound from UAPB junior Jordan Medellin.
The University of Texas at Arlington transfer retired the first 13 Missouri hitters he faced before walking second baseman Blaize Ward with one out in the fifth inning. Ward was the only baserunner Medellin allowed until right fielder Isaiah Frost broke up his no-hit bid with one out in the sixth inning, at which point UAPB went to the bullpen.
Medellin struck out two hitters in his 5 1/3 innings, an outing which tied weekend starter Ryland Morin for the second-longest outing by a UAPB pitcher so far this season. Kenney Fabian’s seven-inning start against Stephen F. Austin is the only longer outing to date.
The stellar performance was surprising as Medellin had only pitched 1/3 of an inning in his collegiate career prior to Wednesday. He is listed on the roster as an infielder and played third base and designated hitter in his only two prior games this season.
In two years at UT Arlington, he played 38 games as a hitter while making one pitching appearance. He faced five batters, giving up three hits and allowing two earned runs in that 2025 outing with one strikeout.
After throwing 67 pitches, 43 for strikes, Medellin handed the ball to senior right-hander Brendan Hamlin (0-1). He faced one hitter, giving up a hit before the Golden Lions decided to call upon Porter, the typical Friday night starter.
The graduate transfer walked the first hitter he faced to load the bases with one out. He struck out the next Missouri batter before Serna stepped to the plate and delivered the big hit for the Tigers. Porter quickly retired the next hitter to end the inning and went on to pitch 1 2/3 innings.
UAPB also used Fabian, another weekend starter, in the eighth inning, leaving questions about the starting rotation for this weekend’s series at Arkansas State.
Missouri starter Luke Sullivan also pitched well, holding UAPB scoreless through 5 1/3 innings while allowing one hit with no walks and five strikeouts. UAPB left fielder Jose Vasquez led off the game with a single and was hit by a Sullivan pitch, but no other Golden Lion reached base against the freshman right-hander.
The Golden Lions quickly struck against the bullpen. Vasquez drew a walk against reliever Jackson Sobel (1-1), then stole second. Sobel threw two wild pitches, allowing Vasquez to move to third and later score to give UAPB a 1-0 lead against Mizzou for the second straight day.
Sobel got out of the inning with no further damage done, setting up Serna to give the Tigers a lead in the bottom half.
The closest UAPB got to staging a comeback came when the Golden Lions loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth. After third baseman Ian Smith popped out to third, Mizzou turned to Ian Lohse, who struck out designated hitter Nick Hockemeyer to end the inning. Lohse then worked around a two-out walk in the ninth to earn his second save of the year.
UAPB’s week on the road continues with three games in Jonesboro starting at 3 p.m. Friday.