Pimental’s shutout outing leads Mizzou to seamless victory over NDSU

In his longest outing as a Missouri Tiger — a night that included two pickoffs, five straight scoreless innings, and the kind of tempo on the mound he hasn’t been able to have in nearly two years — left‑hander Javyn Pimental headlined Missouri’s 11–5 win over North Dakota State on Friday at Taylor Stadium. 

The offense did its part with a four‑run fourth inning, but for Pimental, the night meant something different. It was his first win on this mound since April 20, 2024, after Tommy John surgery wiped out his entire 2025 season.

“I guess I don’t really say it was like a really big comeback story,” Pimental said. “Got the job done, I’m just pretty pumped about my outing.”

He opened the game with seven pitches, two strikeouts and a clean first inning, and he carried that rhythm through the next four frames. By the time Pimental reached the sixth, he had allowed just two hits and was sitting at only 58 pitches. 

The trouble didn’t come until that sixth inning, when three walks loaded the bases and a shallow single finally pushed across North Dakota State’s first run. Even then, only one of the two runs charged to him was earned.

Still, the outing marked another step forward for a guy who hadn’t tried to work into the sixth inning in two years. 

“I guess I’m out of shape,” Pimental joked. “But at the end of the day, I’m supposed to do that.”

Missouri didn’t have to wait long to give him support. Freshman Blaize Ward ripped a two‑run double into the right‑center gap in the first inning, scoring Jase Woita and Mateo Serna. 

An errant throw in the third brought Woita home again, and the Tigers broke the game open in the fourth. Woita punched a two‑run single up the middle, and Tyler Macon followed with a two‑out triple down the right‑field line to make it 7–0.

Tigers coach Kerrick Jackson said the fourth inning was simply the Tigers’ lineup settling in.

“It was just a combination of going through the order multiple times and really understanding what [their starter] was doing,” Jackson said. “Then being able to lay off some of the pitches where he was getting us out early.”

Freshman right‑hander Eli Skidmore entered in the sixth with the bases loaded and one out. An infield error allowed another run to score, but he got a fielder’s‑choice groundout to escape the inning with a 7–2 lead. North Dakota State added one more in the seventh, but Missouri answered immediately with four runs of its own. A throwing error brought Ward home, and back‑to‑back singles from Isaiah Frost and Woita stretched the lead back to eight.

Missouri reliever Juan Villarreal handled the final two innings, striking out three and allowing only one hit. Both runs against him were unearned.

Ward finished 3‑for‑4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Woita matched him with a 3‑for‑4 night of his own, driving in three and stealing his second base of the season. Cameron Benson added two hits and two runs, and Frost chipped in a pair of RBI.

Jackson said Ward’s consistency is already standing out. “He is the most consistent guy that we have,” Jackson said. “He owns the box. He’s comfortable in the box. And as he grows and gets stronger, he’s going to be a really, really good player in this league.”

The win pushed Missouri to 8–2 and marked its sixth straight victory — the program’s longest streak since early 2023. For Pimental, it was another sign that he’s finally back to being himself.

“I’ve never really been a guy to doubt,” Pimental said. “I knew as soon as I got back on that mound again… I was moving about my business.”