Feb. 18, 2001
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri softball team finished second at the Mizzou Round Robin, held in MU's Devine Pavilion yesterday and today.
After a 4-0 loss to DePaul and a 2-1, 10-inning victory over Western Illinois on Friday, the Tigers defeated Northern Illinois 2-1 Sunday afternoon to seal their place in the championship game. The win was Head Coach Jay Miller's 500th at Mizzou. Junior Erin Erickson was 2-3 at the plate with 2 RBI. Freshman Rachael McGinnis also went 2-3, including a deep shot to right field where she would score after an overthrow to third base. Senior pitcher Stephanie Falk had a tremendous game, allowing only one hit and one walk in seven innings of work.
The championship game, however, would not go as well for the Tigers. In the second inning, DePaul scored two runs off hits by Lindsay Chouinard and Sarah Douglas. The Blue Demons would add the third and final run in the third inning after Chouinard singled to centerfield, bringing in pinch runner Laura Visin. Tiger sophomore Ingrid Werner pitched two and a third innings, allowing three runs and walking four. Falk finished the game, allowing four hits and no runs in the last four innings.
Coach Miller saw both ups and downs during the tournament. "I was real pleased with the way we played defensively. I thought they played tough in the field all weekend. Ingrid (Werner) pitched a great game Saturday, allowing only six hits in ten innings against WIU. Stephanie (Falk) pitched great Sunday against Northern Illinois. We just need them to be able to perform that way consistently.
"I was a little disappointed in the final game against DePaul. We left a bunch of people on base, and we ran ourselves out of a lot of innings," said Miller. "We need to be less foolish when we're running the bases. This is still a young, growing team, and this weekend I saw them continuing to pull together, especially on defense. We need to keep playing games, and we need to be able to practice and play outside. It's coming together," said Miller.
This weekend, the Tigers travel to Columbus, Ga., to compete in the Leadoff Classic. The first game pits the Tigers against Georgia Friday, Feb. 23, at 2:30 p.m.