Jack Leftwich has had to battle this season. A blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand has caused him to miss three starts and leave two other early. A rolled left ankle, which Kevin O’Sullivan recognized publicly for the first time Friday, hindered his delivery.
Friday night he was healthy and he was good.
Really good.
Leftwich threw a complete game, two hit, shutout while striking out nine Missouri Tigers in a 2-0 win. The sophomore outdueled future first round pick TJ Sikkema, who has the lowest ERA in the SEC. Sikkema threw a complete game of his own with 10 strikeouts.