Feb. 11, 2000
Missouri closed out their opening day with a 1-2 record. The Tigers opened with games against Louisville, Western Illinois and Alabama at the Metrodome Softball Classic in Minneapolis, Minn.
Missouri opened with an 8-2 loss to Louisville. The Cardinals scored eight runs off 13 hits, including a three-run homer by designated player Amy Pickering in the top of the sixth. The Tigers had one error. Karen Williams had two of the Tigers' three hits, but neither of the runs was scored off hits. Cardinal pitcher Mandy Rockwell walked Stacy Gemeinhardt with the bases loaded to score Linda Swarts in the bottom of the second. Christy Skouby scored the Tigers final run in the bottom of the fifth when Dara Throneburg was hit by a Jessica Rak pitch. Stephanie Falk was the pitcher of record for Missouri. Ingrid Werner led the Tigers from the mound in a 2-0 victory over Western Illinois in the second game of the day. Werner retired the first seventeen batters before the Westerwinds were able to get their first and only hit of the game.The Tigers added needed defense to their defense against the Westerwinds. Senior Amy Farmer came up with a big double in the bottom of the fifth. Stephanie Falk came in as a pinch hitter and hit a single to drive in Farmer and Erin Erickson, who had reached base on an error by the Westerwind third baseman. After a two-hour break the Tigers took the field once again to take on Alabama. The Tigers battled for 11 innings but came up one run short in the 5-4 decision.
Missouri started off fast, scoring two runs in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Gemeinhardt walked and junior Karen Williams got on base with a single. Swarts advanced them with a sacrifice bunt. Mary McGrane drove home Gemeinhardt with a bunt single and Williams was able to score on an error by the Alabama third baseman.Alabama scored four runs off two homers in the top of the third inning, but the Tigers were able to answer back. Swarts hit a long bomb over the left field fence and drove in Karen Williams to tie the game.
Missouri brought freshman Ingrid Werner in to relieve starter Stephanie Falk in the fourth. Werner pitched the remaining eight innings and continued her strong performance from the previous game. Neither team could put a runner on base until the eighth inning. The Tigers got runners on, but were not able to score.Both teams had chances to score in extra innings, but neither was able to get the job done, so the game went into international tiebreaker innings in the tenth. In international tiebreaker innings teams are able to put the person who got the last out of the previous inning on second to run. Missouri took the Alabama batters out easily in the tenth. Alabama allowed Missouri to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the tenth. All the Tigers needed to do was hit a deep fly ball to score the runner on third. The ball wasn't hit deep enough and Alabama's All-American centerfielder, Kelly Kretschman, was able to put the Tigers away. Alabama was able to sneak a runner in in the top of the eleventh to put them up one. The Tigers fought to score, but were only able to reach third.
Freshman Ingrid Werner had a stellar day in her first collegiate appearances. She finished the day with a 1-1 record and a 0.00 ERA with no earned runs in 15 innings. She only gave up two hits and walked two with nine strikeouts.