March 12, 2005
Columbia, Mo. - Ranked No. 21 in the nation, the Missouri softball team improved to 19-2 on the season and 4-0 at home after dropping Drake, 10-2 and 7-2, in a doubleheader played on University Field. Freshman Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) crushed her first grand slam of the campaign in MU's first game against the Bulldogs and was one of five Tigers to go yard in today's opening series against Drake.
Missouri scored first in the 2 p.m., game, earning two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Entering the third, Bulldog pitcher Jessica Hicks struckout Missouri's leadoff hitter, but loaded the bases as sophomore Leanne Bowers (Arnold, Mo.) walked, freshman pitcher Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.) was hit by pitch and redshirt freshman Micaela Minner (Sanger, Texas) walked. Next up for Missouri was first baseman Renth. Fighting off an 0-1 count, Renth punched the ball over the scoreboard in left center for her second homer of the season and first career grand slam. Renth closed out the day with two hits, five RBI, a .333 batting average and .833 slugging percentage.
Up by six, Drake scored two runs in the top of the fourth, but the Tigers quickly rebounded with three runs of their own including outfielder Janessa Roening's (Port Angeles, Wash.) moonshot to right field. Missouri ended the game in five innings with the final run scored by senior Heather Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill.). It was MU's seventh game of the season to conclude in five innings.
Game two against Drake opened at 4:10 p.m., and saw three Tigers smash home runs. For the fifth time of the season and third as leadoff hitter, Bowers ripped a homer to open the game. Working against right-handed Hicks, Bruck followed Bowers with a double to centerfield bringing up Minner who hit her 10th bomb of the season, this one landing behind the centerfield fence. Minner moved to second on the MU season home run chart and is tied with former pitcher Barb Wright who launched 10 homers in both the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Currently, 1997 graduate Mary Babb sits atop the season home run record book with 16 long balls pounded during her senior campaign.
Not to be outdone, Kunkel drove her 13th career homer over the outfield fence. Now with five blasts on the season, Kunkel tied her previous season high of five homers hit during the 2003 season.
Both Bruck and sophomore lefty Erica Peterson (Irving, Texas) were credited with wins. Bruck improves to 9-1 on the season and Peterson climbs to 10-1 with two saves. To date, Peterson has struckout 93 batters bringing her career total to 161.
Missouri will close out the three-game series with Drake tomorrow at noon on University Field.