April 27, 2004
Missouri Softball Back On The Road Making their second consecutive conference roadtrip, the Missouri softball team (21-22) will take on Iowa State in a doubleheader in Ames, Iowa, on Wednesday, April 28, at 2 p.m., with game two following at 4:30 p.m. Both games will be played at the Southwest Athletic Complex. Currently 8-3 in the Big 12 Conference, Missouri is third in the league and trails last weekend's opponent Texas A&M (second, 12-1) and Nebraska (first, 12-0). Iowa State stands 11th in the Conference with a 1-9 record, finding their only league win over Texas Tech, 7-4 on March 28. Both teams enter the game sharing a common trait. The Tigers and Cyclones were both forced to cancel the second of their two-game series against last weekend's opponents. Located 92 miles apart, the Tigers were washed out against Texas A&M in College Station, while the Cyclones faced a rained out game to Baylor in Waco, Texas. Missouri holds a 36-28 lead in the all-time series record. Sweeping the Cyclones with shutouts in last season's two-game series at home (1-0, 4-0), the Tigers will look to increase their lead by 10 games after Wednesday's doubleheader. Junior pitcher Erin Kalka took both of MU's wins over Iowa State last season on April 10. Allowing only four hits through a combined 15 innings of action, Kalka is expected to return to the mound in Wednesday's contest. Senior Morgan LeCluyse is one of the Tigers' probable starters in outfield. On a two-game hitting streak, LeCluyse is one of only two Tigers to take a hit in last Saturday's game against Texas A&M. LeCluyse's longest hitting streak of the season stands at six (3/2-3/6), making it the third longest streak of the team this season.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Tigers will return to Columbia for their final home series of the regular season, hosting Texas Tech on Saturday, May 1, at 2 p.m., and Sunday, May 2, at noon. Senior outfielder Morgan LeCluyse will be recognized prior to the start of the game on Sunday for her three years of dedication to the Missouri softball team.
Scouting the Cyclones Entering Wednesday's doubleheader the Iowa State Cyclones are 10th in the Big 12 Conference with an 11-26 overall and 1-9 league record. Most recently dropping a 6-2 decision at Baylor, the Cyclones are looking to rebound from the loss with a win over the Tigers in the doubleheader on Wednesday. Holding a .208 team batting average, the Cyclones stand ahead of Missouri (.205) but stand last in the Conference with a 3.33 ERA. A young team, the Cyclones have seven freshman on the team and are led by Head Coach Ruth Crowe, now in her eighth year at Iowa State. 2-5 at home, the Iowa State softball team took wins over Northern Iowa (April 1, 8-0 in five innings) and Drake (April 22, 6-3) at the Southwest Athletic Complex. Expected starting pitcher Alyssa Ransom (Fr.) holds an 8-15 record and 2.77 ERA overall and is 1-7 in the Big 12 Conference (4.35), totaling 113 strikeouts on the season.