April 18, 2002
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Tigers Look to Extend Three Game Win Streak Against KU
The University of Missouri softball team travels to Lawrence, Kan., on Thursday to take on the Jayhawks with first pitch set for 5 pm. The game can be heard on 1580 KTGR in Columbia or at www.mutigers.com. The Tigers are in the midst of a three-game winning streak with their latest triumphs coming over UMKC on Wednesday, 1-0 and 11-6.
Mizzou enters the contest with a 26-28 overall mark and a 2-11 conference record. They faced the Jayhawks one other time this season in an Easter thriller taking the game 2-1
A Look at Kansas
The Jayhawks enter action on Thursday with a 29-18 overall mark and a 5-6 record in the Big 12. KU split a doubleheader with UMKC last night at Adair Park in Kansas City, dropping Game 1, 2-1 and taking Game 2, 6-0.
Kansas is led offensively by Christi Musser, who is batting .371 with seven doubles, seven home runs, 27 RBI and 81 total bases. The Jayhawks have a very balanced pitching staff checking in with a staff ERA of 1.73. All four pitchers have winning records and all four have ERA's between 1.50 and 2.00. Serena Settlemier has been the workhorse of the staff with 24 appearances and nine complete game efforts while ringing up 92 strikeouts.
Tracy Bunge is in her fifth year as head coach of the Jayhawks weighing with a 156-137 mark at KU. MU leads the all-time series, 45-37.
Earlier This Season Against the Jayhawks
Mar. 31, 2002 in Columbia MU 2, KU 1Who's En FuegoThe Kansas Edition Games 55 * April 18, 2002 * Lawrence, Kan. University of Missouri (26-28 overall, 2-11 in the Big 12) Opponent: Kansas (29-18 overall, 5-6 in the Big 12 Start Times: Thurs., April 18 Missouri vs. Kansas, 5 pm Radio Info: All Tiger Softball games can be heard on 1580 KTGR AM or at www.mutigers.com Series Info: MU vs. KU-MU leads 45-37 For More Info: MU-www.mutigers.com Kansas-www.kuathletics.com Coaches: Missouri: Jay Miller (Illinois State '78) 553-303 at MU (15th year) 706-409 overall (20th year). UMKC: Tracy Bunge (Kansas '86) 156-137 at KU (5th year) 248-205overall (8th year).
* After going 0-for-3 in Game 1 against the Kangaroos on Tuesday, Allister went wild in Game 2 going 4-for-5 with an RBI while scoring two runs.
* Freshman Erin Kalka has given up only seven hits and no earned runs in 10.0 innings of work in her last two outings. She is now 12-11 on the year.
* Senior Erin Erickson has had a hit in four of the Tiger's last six contests and hit her team-leading 10th double of the season on Tuesday.
* Junior Melanie Fisher has recorded a home run in two of the Tigers last three games including the game-winner in Mizzou's 1-0 win over UMKC on Tues.
* Freshman Heather Kunkel has a four game hit streak going and has blasted a hit in 12 of the last 14 games.
* Junior Sara Vassmer has scored a hit in four straight contests.
A Black and Golden Opportunity Continues
The Tigers are currently in 9th place in the Big 12 with a 2-11 league mark after splitting last weekends series with Nebraska and sweeping the series with UMKC. However, the Tigers are only five games back in the loss column behind the fifth place team in the league, the No. 24 Texas A & M Aggies, whom the Tigers face in the final weekend of the season. Mizzou also has a weekend home series on April 20-21 with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who are in 10th place in the conference and a road game with Kansas on Thursday, who the Tigers beat earlier this season in Columbia and who currently are in eighth place.
If Mizzou wants to make a run at improving its seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament next month, now is definitely the time.
Spinning Your Favorite Records Every Season, Your Listening to the Missouri Softball Network
Several Tigers are making major moves in the Mizzou softball record books. Here is a breakdown of some of the movers and shakers.
Rachael McGinnis ranks...-7th on the single season RBI charts (40). -would rank second on the Mizzou charts in single season slugging percentage if the season were to end today (.626) - 6th on the single season home run charts (6). -tied for 10th on the Mizzou career homerun charts (8).
Ingrid Werner ranks...
-9th on the career appearance chart (92). -10th on the career innings pitched (397.1). -8th on the career strike outs charts (211).
Erin Erickson ranks...
-6th on the career doubles charts (33) -5th on the career homerun charts (14) -5th on the career put outs charts (950)
Mary McGrane ranks
-8th on the career put outs charts (737) -1st on the career fielding percentage charts (.995)
The Hits Just Keep on Coming Sophomore Rachael McGinnis, who currently ranks sixth in single season home runs at MU with six, has slowed down some during the Big 12 portion of the Tigers season. Trying telling that to opposing Big 12 pitchers. She is second in the league in hitting (.387), and leads the league in hits (60), triples (5, tied with senior teammate Lindsey Jacoby) and total bases (97).
McGinnis has recorded two or more hits in 17 games this season and recorded a 13-game hit streak earlier in the year. If the season were to end today, McGinnis' .387 batting average would rank third on the MU single season charts.
Swingin' For the Fences
After not hitting a home run in three straight contests earlier this month, the Tigers have exploded for four crush jobs in the last three games.
Junior Melanie Fisher was the first to break out with her second home run of the season in the top of the first inning last Sunday against Nebraska giving Mizzou a 1-0 lead. Fisher would hit her second in as many games in the Game 1 of Mizzou's series with UMKC, a majestic game-winning shot to center field.
Seniors Erin Erickson and Lindsey Jacoby would also get in on the act. Erickson hit her second of the year in the fourth inning on Sunday against the Huskers which plated two Tiger runs. Jacoby broke out of an 0-16 slump with an opposite way job in Game 2 of the Tigers series against UMKC in Independence. Mizzou has now hit 24 home runs as a team on the season, which ranks sixth in the Big 12 and is already double the number of home runs the Tigers hit in 2001.
The Last Time Out
Mizzou Softball Bounces Kangaroos in Double Header
Tigers have now won three straight.
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri softball team swept a double header from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos on Tuesday night, 1-0 and 11-6. The contests were played at Adair Park, which is located in Independence, Mo., just off of I-70. The Tigers have now won three straight contests and improve to 26-28 overall and 2-11 in the Big 12 Conference. In Game 1 of the day, which began in a driving rain, the two squads battled to a scoreless tie after six innings. Starter Ingrid Werner would work the first 2 2/3 innings not allowing a run but would get into trouble in the top of the third when the Roos loaded the bases with two outs. Miller brought in freshman Erin Kalka, who would squelch the UMKC threat striking out UMKC second baseman Lindsay Kendrick to end the third. UMKC starter Lindsey Davis would cruise through the first five innings allowing only three hits.
However, with one out in the top of the sixth inning, junior Melanie Fisher hit her second home run in as many games deep to center field. The shot was a majestic one that bounced off of the stonewall in center field and took pieces of rock off of the steep face giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead which they would not relinquish. Kalka would make the run stand up as she would work 4 1/3 innings scattering three UMKC hits and no runs while striking out four as she and Werner teamed for the seven-hit shutout. The Kangaroos would out-hit the Tigers in the contest, 7-5, but they would strand nine base runners as the Mizzou defense would hold fast.
The Tigers looked as if they would run away with the second game taking a 3-0 lead on back-to-back to doubles by freshman Heather Kunkel and Erin Erickson and a two run home run by senior Lindsey Jacoby to right center field. The Tigers would continue the offensive assault in the fourth scoring five unearned runs on three hits and three Kangaroo errors giving the Tigers an 8-0 lead. The Tiger's nearly 20-minute offensive half of the fourth inning spelled danger for freshman starter Veronica Flournoy. She had been outstanding heading into the fourth striking out four and giving up only one hit. However, Flournoy would allow the first two batters she faced in the fourth to reach base on a single and a walk and would then give up a home run to left field to clean-up hitter Amanda Rice to cut the Tiger lead to 8-3. She would get the next batter to ground out, but would then give up a double prompting the end of her evening in favor of Werner. Werner would apply the "bend-but-don't-break" philosophy to her outing giving up three runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings of work, but the Tigers would spring for three more runs of their own in the fifth taking the game, 11-6.