May 15, 2004
Oklahoma City, Okla. - Playing in extra innings for the second time of the Big 12 Softball Conference Championships, Missouri finished off No. 21 Oklahoma, 3-2 in 13 innings on the main field of ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. The win pushes Missouri's overall record to 29-23 and advances them into tonight's 6 p.m., championship game against No. 1 seeded Nebraska.
Rebounding from a 1-0 Oklahoma lead at the close of the second inning, Missouri put two runs of their own on the board with freshman catcher Kathy Masterson and sophomore third baseman Kendra Power crossing home plate. With one out, the Tigers hit back-to-back singles to left field, the first coming by Masterson on a 1-1 count. Swinging against right-handed All-American pitcher Kami Keiter, Power took first base after driving the ball past OU third baseman Norelle Dickson. Advancing around the bases, Masterson scored on a fielder's choice by freshman Sarah Stringer. Power was next to reach home, advancing on another fielder's choice, this time by senior outfielder Morgan LeCluyse.
The Sooners tied the game at two in the top of the seventh inning as Keiter hit a single through the right side. With Amber Spaulding in as pinch runner and only one out on the board, Spaulding was able to come home on a single by Dickson.
Freshman pitcher Erica Peterson entered the game for Missouri in the seventh inning, stranding four Sooner runners on bases through the next six innings of action. Totalling six strikeouts, the left-handed pitcher improves to 3-2 on the season and holds a 1.17 ERA in Big 12 tournament action. The win was Peterson's second of the tournament, with the first coming against Oklahoma State on May 13.
In a two-out situation in the bottom of the 13th, Stringer found the pitch she needed to single through the left side. With the game-winning run on base, LeCluyse had a 2-1 count before Stringer stole second. Hitting the ball hard to left field, Stringer ran home bringing LeCluyse's RBI total to a team-leading 23.
A native of St. Louis, Mo., Masterson had two big defensive outs to close the fifth inning, tagging centerfielder Kirstin Vesely and Dickson while running up the third base line. With three runners already on base, OU catcher Heather Scaglione advanced to first on a fielders choice as junior MU pitcher Erin Kalka passed the ball to Masterson for the tag up the third base line, as Scaglione advanced to second, Dickson ran for third and tried for home with no Tigers covering the base. Masterson was fast in the tag to give the Sooners their third and final out.
The 13-inning game is Missouri's fifth extra-inning showdown of the 2004 season and second longest game of the campaign. The Tigers' longest game of the year came against Oklahoma State at home on April 3, against Oklahoma State (14 innings 3-2 Missouri win). This is the second longest game of the Big 12 Softball Championships since the creation of the league in 1996. The longest extra-inning game came in 1997 as Oklahoma State took on Nebraska for 18 innings of action.
For the first time since 1997, Missouri enters the Championship game of the Big 12 softball tournament. The only team in school history to ever win a Big 12 title, the 1997 team defeated Oklahoma State 3-1.
Missouri and Nebraska will square off in tonight's 6 p.m., Championship game at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net.
In the last meeting between the two schools, Missouri swept the Huskers (4-3 and 1-0) in a two-game series on May 8 and 9, although overall, Nebraska leads the all-time series record, 42-27.